Capitoline
by Johnsoneer
Summary: Sequel to Goliath. Alek and Deryn have been doing fine in London, but something has forced them set off on a journey across war-torn Europe on the back of a new beastie. New friends, suspicious strangers, battle, war, love, loss, and all the steampunk-y goodness of the series I love. Its going to be a long one so get reading.
1. Chapter 1

Cheese.

At least at the moment, that was the thing Deryn missed the most about living on solid ground. A simple piece of cheddar on a small cracker that had been laid out on the boffin's coffee table. The decadences and pleasantries like cheddar were only ever given to the middies aboard the _Leviathan_ when there were rations to spare. Looking back on it, there was hardly ever a time where the beastie's need for food was not dire.

Deryn sat and began to drift dangerously into a nostalgic trance before she was quickly snapped back to reality by the sound of chomping. Tazza began munching on what little cheddar was left on her plate. She shooed the beastie and cleaned up the crumbs. That had been close. She almost thought back to the _Leviathan_.

That was all she seemed to do after they had departed here in London. Deryn decided that the best way to distract herself from the airbeast was to focus on the small things that she could never enjoy onboard. Cheese, baths, and a house that wouldn't explode if she lit a match. This life isn't so bad.

Deryn collected her mess and stood up to face the kitchen when the Lady boffin's gaze stopped her.

"Those refreshments are for the guests, Mr. Sharp" she stated calmly.

"Sorry mam', just thought I'd check to see if they were sorted properly."

"I'm glad they pass your inspection" Dr. Barlow said as she walked passed her into the main hall. "But if you recall, I asked you to tend to the animals before they arrived. Once your done, meet us back in here."

The room was always neat in case surprise visitors came along, although that rarely ever occurred. It was a small but fervently decorated room with antique furniture and yellow walls. Sketches of finches, pigeons, and lizards were framed on the wall and staircase that led up to the office. The whole house was littered with these drawings. Oddly enough, none of the drawings were of fabricated species. Each specimen was natural.

"I was actually hoping I could head back home for the night once I finished, m'am" Deryn said quickly, as if the farther away the boffin was, the more likely she'd decline.

"Please Mr. Sharp, These are not simply Zoological Society patrons. These guests are family and I would very much prefer if you could talk to them about your encounters with your Loris." The boffin waved her hand around as she spoke as if she was being obvious.

So that's what was going on. But Deryn had met Dr. Barlow's husband and parts of his family briefly before, so who were these new guests? It then dawned on her that she'd best be on her behavior tonight because the Darwin's were coming over for dinner. "Barking Spiders," She whispered before she quickly turned and left out the back door and headed for the stables.

* * *

"Oie! Come an' get it beasties!" she bellowed in the birdcage as dozens of winged beasties fluttered excitedly. Some flew down to peck at the feed she placed in the feeder, others decided to bide their time. These birds were similar in size to the strafing hawks she used to feed aboard the _Leviathan_ but that is where the similarities ended. Each one had different life-threads sewn into its genetic makeup. Deryn could see a macaw here, a buzzard there, and one bird that opened its beak side-ways. Oh how that would make a monkey-luddite shudder.

She finished up and put her gloves down. The stables behind the boffin's house were a smaller, cleaner version of the ones at the London Zoo. But these beasties belonged to Dr. Barlow. Each one was one of her original fabrications and was at the forefront of Darwinist creation. Some were designed for military purposes but most were designed for more peaceful purposes like communication and transportation. They were all kept in her own private stable behind her house, which was on the outskirts of the city just next to the river. A miniature elephantine brushed its trunk on her shoulder as she passed. She rubbed the trunk affectionately.

"Already fed you. Sorry beastie" she sighed. Before she left, she ran over to the cage at the very end of the stable. She knew she had to make it back to the boffin's house before she began to stink of stable-clart, but this beast deserved a visit. She made her way to the cage and greeted the beastie that loomed over her.

"Hello there girl" She smiled. Standing above her in a large cage was a pearly-white lupine-tigeresque. The beast stood a proud nine feet tall and had hypnotic emerald eyes. Gigantic shoulder muscles seemed to take up most of its hide. Her paws seemed larger than normal, almost like a bear's, and her claws sat sheathed inside except for the ones at the back. Each paw had one large claw that protruded out the backside in the opposite direction of the others. Deryn suspected it was meant to act as a vice or even a very sharp thumb in case the beastie wanted to destroy something properly.

As terrifying as the concept was, Deryn was not the least bit intimidated by the creature. Its face was bright and almost happy as it gazed down at Deryn. From her first day working in the boffin's animal house, this particular beast seemed to favor her. Its eyes went wide and it nudged its large pink nose to the bars of the cage so that Deryn could reach it. It closed its eyes as she began to rub it affectionately. Deryn guessed that some of the threads had been altered to make it a quiet beast, otherwise it would be purring like a housecat.

Deryn knew how dangerous it was creating an attachment to a military fabrication, but Dr. Barlow never seemed to mind. She said the beastie was a concept she'd been exploring for the war. It had been designed to be able to cross vast wilderness at speeds to out run a storm walker. Put a few of these in a VIP's house and it could get them across Europe in a fortnight without having to pass any dense cities. Trouble was, no politician was willing to mount the beast. The beast was good enough with people, but riding the saddle was barking _uncomfortable_, even by a military man's standards. The beast could travel just fine; it was the people who could not make the trip. Dr. Barlow had said it was back to the drawing board but kept the tigeresque for references. Recently, however, the boffin had found a newfound interest in the fluffy white creature and was inspecting it many times a week. Deryn wondered what she was up to now.

"I wish the darn boffin would let me take you out again but she's got her family over tonight. So you'd best behave if they come to look at you ok?" she asked. The tigeresque simply laid down and turned its head so she could stroke the back of its ears, which were each the size of soup bowls. "You're getting lazy beastie" she scolded and turned to leave. The lights were on back at the house and the sun was setting. She began to jog back and shouted back "See you tomorrow girl!" She slowed down before she got to the boffin's door so she could catch her breath. She wanted to leave the most important boffins in the country with a good first impression.

* * *

**A/N: **My first fanfiction. Most Authors Notes I read are at the beginning and I find that irritating. All I have to say is that this one will be long. It won't even get exciting till the 9th chapter or so, but I can promise you it'll be done. So many Fanfic's out there are either incomplete or take forever to get another chapter so here's the deal; I am releasing the first 3 chapters all at once as a treat. I can also promise you a chapter or two each week until its done. Why? Cause I've already written them! I just want to stagger them so you guys can tell me how I'm doing.

TL;DNR:

It's a long epic piece. Review it if you want cause that's cool.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Deryn quietly walked back into the living room, which was filled with the sounds of quibbling boffins. She was used to this sound by now but she knew this occasion was different.

"Ah, Dylan, come hear I'd like to introduce you" Dr. Barlow said pleasantly. She sat in the living room with her Loris at her side. "Mr. Sharp," it said calmly. She did as she was beckoned and greeted her guests with a smile. There were only three men in total. Each one was wearing fine jackets with a pocket-watch chain trailing out of their shirts. Two of them were wearing specs, and each one was sporting a moustache that was curled at the edges. Even a total stranger could tell these men were Darwanist boffins but then again these men set the standards of Darwinism, so they could dress however well they pleased. One was slightly elderly with gray in his hair but the others seemed to be relatively young still. Perhaps around Dr. Barlow's age.

"This is Dr. Hammond" she gestured at the elder, "He has been studying the effects of fabricated species on natural selection in the Galapagos Islands for decades. And these are my brothers, doctors Richard and Jeremy Darwin."

"Pleased to meet all of you," She said as politely as possible while remaining tall and remembering to keep her voice low.

"Likewise young lad" Richard said with a cheek smile. "Nora here was just telling us about your recent adventures abroad. I say, you've got spirit."

"And a keen eye for fabricated beasts," Jeremy finished. Richard sat short and Jeremy was rather tall which made Richard look even smaller. They both smiled at each other, as if witty comments were passing between them telepathically. "Nora says her Loris has taking a liking to you."

"Yes, and a clever little bugger he's becoming. At first I thought that all he did was repeat words at random but now he has figured out short phrases and occasionally witty retorts as well" Deryn answered.

"Well Nora, seems your project wasn't completely scrabbled after all. We were worried that all those years went to waste when we heard the _Leviathan _went down in the Alps" Jeremy said.

". . . And we worried about your safety!" Richard accused.

"No we didn't" Jeremy joked under his breath. Richard gave him a slight shove and they all began laughing heartily. Blisters this was strange. The lady boffin had always been the most professional of people and here she was laughing like a child at the dinner table. Dr. Hammond simply smiled a bit and stayed silent.

"Thus far the progress is not as I had planned but curious nonetheless. My Loris is making similar strides and they communicate with one another about virtually everything" Dr. Barlow said calming down.

"Where is the other creature?" asked Jeremy looking around.

"He's with my other assistant in Manchester presently. The Center for Biological Research asked for some input on a political project and I was much too busy here. He is due to return later tonight so you may all inspect the Loris tomorrow. Dylan, is the stable ready for a quick tour?" she asked Deryn.

"Yes mam. Most beasties will be asleep by now or at least relatively docile," she said back.

"Ah good, I was hoping we could at least observe them a little bit before closely examining them tomorrow," Richard said as he put his teacup down.

"Very good Dylan, you may retire for the night then. We will see you in the morning" she stood as she spoke, beckoning her brothers and Dr. Hammond to follow. She nodded and bade everyone good night as they began to leave out the back door towards the stable. Dylan herself was halfway across the room when Dr. Hammond called

"Young lad?" She turned and saw him almost at the back door, the other three boffins well on their way. His voice was deep with a slight rasp to it. His tone was soft but his voice still seemed to fill the room entirely. He simply smiled and put on his bowler hat. "You're quite convincing" he stated calmly and turned to leave.

Deryn stood frozen as she watched him depart. She lingered there more for a minute before turning to leave herself. "Blisters!" she hissed sharply as she closed the door behind her. The man had not even spoken a word to her the entire night. He simply watched as she conversed with the others. Now it all made sense. He was _observing_ her, studying her like a wild finch. To think she had an entire ship of soldiers fooled for nearly a year and this man saw through her immediately. Whoever this Dr. Hammond is, he is certainly not one to take lightly.

She began to worry as she quickly walked home down the dark streets of west London. Did the others know and not care to mention? Did Dr. Barlow tell him? Would he tell the other boffins? Questions picked at her brain till she was almost home. She forced herself to calm down. It isn't even certain what he meant. He may still be unaware. Plus, if he wanted to reveal her, the living room would have been the place to do it. She convinced herself she was safe as she walked up to her door.

It was a small brick townhouse divided into apartments by floor. The boffin had been gracious enough to cover the rent for the first half year so most of her money earned thus far had been building up in savings. Her apartment had two beds, a small kitchen and a balcony on the back window overlooking the courtyard behind. As a middy she had kept a tidy bunk aboard the _Leviathan, _but now that she lived in her own place she let her messy side develop. She opened the front door with her key and made her way to her door on the third floor. A hint of frost began to creep into the corners of the windows as the night grew colder.

She made her way to her door when she stopped before reaching it. The door was cracked open. Had she been robbed? She never forgot to lock the door on her way out. Her brow stiffened as she readied herself to face whatever or whoever was inside. She slowly opened the door and peered inside, then gave an audible exasperated sigh as she closed the door behind her.

"Alek" she sighed.

There he was, sleeping like a newborn hydrogen sniffer, with neither of his bags unpacked and his pants and shoes still on. His jacket was open, revealing a white cotton shirt underneath. He even gave a slight snore with his mouth wide open to complete the look. Deryn smiled. He had gone from London to Cambridge to Manchester and back all in a week. His un-princely side was now the only part of him remaining. The Loris was sleeping atop a small padded footstool that had become his perch shortly after moving in.

She quietly made her way over to her bed and took off her jacket. She reached for her shoes when she decided "oh what of it" and slid herself next to Alek still fully clothed. She nudged closer trying not to wake him and gently pulled part of the pillow underneath her head. He gave another audible snore, which made Deryn chuckle a bit. She settled in next to him and realized that they were above the covers, but neither of them were getting cold tonight.

**A/N:** In case anyone is wondering, the two guys (Jeremy and Richard) are characters based off of my favorite show TOP GEAR. The british hosts are just hilarious so if you're a fan of the show, you know where they come from. I'll be adding the third host in there as well later. Let me know how it is so far.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Alek awoke when the light of the morning seeped through the window across the room. The light hurt his eyes and his feet still ached from the travel. He willed for the morning to go back to its evil domain from whence it came, but the sun still inched passed his face. He gave a slight groan and stretched his legs. Shisse, had he really slept in his clothes? His shoes were still on and he wasn't even below the covers. He began to stir when he felt a warm breath come from behind him. He turned his head to find Deryn sleeping right beside him. He was half surprised, half mesmerized by the way the sun lit up the ends of her golden hair. He smiled and silently began to inch out of bed before she stated "not very princely to sleep in your clothes."

He sighed. "After traveling so far on an airship, I forgot how tiresome civilian travel was."

"Nothing quite as smooth as floating is there?" she kept her eyes closed from the sun that now covered her face. "How was your tour of England?" she asked.

"The traveling part was actually the only part that wasn't dull. I was supposed to recount my experiences with the Loris but all anyone seemed to talk about were my days aboard the _Leviathan_. Lords it was boring." Alek got up and started to make their usual breakfast: bread and butter. Alek wouldn't dare attempt anything more complicated.

"That bum-rag Malone has made quite a celebrity out of you." She sat up and smiled a bit. "The lady boffin's got family visiting."

"I've met her husband's mother before." Alek said dryly.

"No these are _her_ family. Boffins the lot of them, and barking good ones too. These aren't just Darwinists, they're _Darwins_. Grandchildren of the man himself," Deryn retorted. God's wounds. And he thought the Darwinists he met in Cambridge were important. "Something else as well," she continued, "There is a chance one of them knows my little secret."

All the ache of waking up was gone by now. Alek put the knife in his hand down and glared at her for a moment. "How?" he asked frantically.

"Hey now take it easy. I said there is a chance. And he just seemed to figure it out. The other two seemed unawares though so I doubt Barlow told them. A clever boots that one is. Be careful what you say," she warned.

"Its not like I've got any more family secrets to hide anymore," he said as he tossed her a chunk of bread with butter lathered on both sides. That's how she liked it. She caught it and began eating, still in bed.

"Perhaps not. But we share one, and I'd like it to remain hidden from everyone, including Barlow, at least for now," she said.

Alek slowly made his way over to her and put a light kiss on her lips. "You mean that one?" he asked.

"Yes your bum-ragness, that one. Now go get dressed, she wants the animals ready to inspect this morning. And we need to remember to pick up extra paper's for the guests."

"Your bum-ragness" they both heard come from across the room. Bovril was up and was very excited about this wonderful new word Deryn had invented for him.

**A/N:** That's it for your Three Chapter Starter Kit. The rest of the chapters will come out weekly from here on out. Let me know how I'm doing and I promise the chapters will come frequently. I know this chapter was short but the first three are all out! Plus the fourth is HUGE so there is that. See you all next week.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The doctors were already busy by the time they arrived. "Bugger!" Deryn swore and rushed off to the stable, laying the newspapers down on the table. They weren't late, but Alek guessed she didn't want to seem lazy in front of these particular men. Alek could hear someone say "Sorry lad, we couldn't wait so we got started," followed by, "Come help me with this elephantine good lad." Alek elected to stay and find Dr. Barlow before coming to help. He was better with people than with the beasts anyway. Oddly enough, Dr. Barlow was exactly the person he ran into.

"Hello sir, good morning," Alek said politely.

"Ah Aleksander of Hohenberg, good to see you." The man stood just under two meters, towering over Alek who still wasn't as tall as Deryn. "I see Dylan has begun tending to the Darwin brothers. Have you been introduced?"

"No sir. I was told she had family over for a visit." Alek felt awkward under Dr. Barlow's shadow.

"They're here on strict professional business, or so they claim. The taller one is Jeremy and the other is Richard. Both of them are brothers of Nora and classmates of mine from back in our earliest scientific schooling."

"I see, and who is the man speaking with Mrs. Barlow now?" Alek pointed toward the far side of the yard where the lady was speaking with another man in a bowler hat who was slightly older than the others.

"Ah, that is Dr. Hammond. Spent most of his days in the Galopagos after Charles Senior died. He was young at the time but at one point he was taught by Charles himself. Now he continues his professor's research in the most remote location in the world where fabrication is outlawed. For all his cunning he seems to lack ambition." Dr. Barlow was slightly spiteful at this last comment.

"Dearest!" Alek heard the lady call over from the stable, beckoning her husband to come. He stepped outside and Alek soon followed. "I was just discussing hybrid parakeets and ospreys with Dr. Hammond when I remembered that avian varieties are your specialty. Could you discuss your birds with him please, I must attend to my brothers," Dr. Nora Barlow said to her husband.

"Of course Dr. Hammond. Right this way." The man simply nodded and followed. The two Darwanists walked off towards the stable, leaving Alek and the lady.

"Good morning Aleksander, I trust that your venture across England was un-eventful" Dr. Barlow said while walking in the stable.

"I'm glad that was your intention. It was frighteningly repetitive with each person I met. We spoke less of the Zoological Society and more of me," Alek said shaking his head.

"That was indeed my hope. I wanted to see if the world is over your heroics yet. It seems that even four months after leaving the _Leviathan_, you are still a subject of vast discussion."

"I was hoping to discuss something more pressing instead, like the war," Alek said walking in the stable hall. The war had been drawing closer and closer to an imminent Clanker defeat over the past few months since the American's joined in. But much of France lay in ruins and the fighting bears of Russia were struggling to regain what ground they had lost thus far. This was not the swift end to the bloody war he was hoping for. Any chance to give more advantage to the Darwinists is a chance Alek could have to hasten Germany's defeat. Yet the most people seemed to care about was how daring his adventures in Istanbul and New York were.

"Well, you handled it perfectly, and I wanted to make sure your diplomatic skills were still at their prime." They had caught up with Dr. Hammond and Dr. Barlow's husband who were coming out of the birdcage. The lady was about to say something but was cut off by two loud bowler hats.

"James!" they expressed in unison and began fighting over a hug from the doctor.

"Oh co-" was all the man could say before they attacked him with hugs and shoves. God above, they were like children. Three of the most important biological scientists in the world and they behaved like rowdy school-boys.

"Let off you blithering idiots!" said Dr. Barlow tiding himself up again. They began relentlessly teasing and laughing again, as if provoked.

Deryn had caught up at this point and explained the mess to Alek. "Apparently these three were inseparable back in the day."

Nora Barlow seemed to have enough of this and bellowed, "Jeremy! Richard! James! Do behave yourselves please! Goodness it's a wonder why we don't have children. Now if you will be so kind, Dr. Hammond would like a word with Prince Aleksander about this beast and I'd like us all to partake." Alek turned to the older man who was chuckling in a low tone at the three parading scientists.

"Yes sir? Which one did you have in mind?" Alek asked calmly. The man simply walked without a word and Alek slowly followed until they reached the Lupine-Tigeresque's cage. It was still mauling away at its breakfast and didn't seem to notice the men watching.

"Tell me, Master Aleksander, what do people say about the _Leviathan _these days?" Dr. Hammond asked him. Gods his voice was powerful. It rang through Aleks ears as he processed the question.

"Most have been discussing its most recent activities, like the attack in Istanbul, the crash in the Alps, or the suggested bombings in the U.S. Why do you ask sir?" Deep down, Alek feared that this would be another discussion all about him and the _Leviathan_ now.

"People tell me it is the most powerful airship in the service." Oh heavens here it comes. "Do you agree?"

"Well, I would hardly count myself an expert on airships, but when I was on board it seemed like we were only ever successful."

"Yet it is one of the oldest airships in the fleet with the least amount of marginal firepower." Dr. Hammond was not wondering this. He seemed very sure about where to take this conversation. Alek was lost still.

"May I ask what you mean?" Alek asked.

"Hmh," he laughed and turned to face Alek. "The _Leviathan_ managed to somehow outlast two German zeppelins above the waters of Japan under strict rations whilst carrying a crew normally too large for the ship to even consider holding. It then proceeded to cross the Pacific Ocean against some of the worst storms ever weathered by airships. It also set the time record for doing so without even trying." The doctor paused and looked back at the feasting tiger. "I believe that the _Leviathan _is indeed the most powerful airship but not because of my designs, but rather because of your improvements."

Alek froze to take in that last statement. Did he just say _his_ designs? Wasn't Dr. Barlow the original fabricator of the larger airships? And what improvements?

"The beast was only a political tool before it crashed. You gave it new life with your powerful Clanker engines. After that, with the speed of a Clanker zeppelin and the flexibility of Darwinism, it became a new breed of creation."

"You're suggesting that the combination of both Darwinist and Clanker tech made the _Leviathan _stronger?" Alek proposed.

"Stronger in more ways than one. I think that the possibilities of what we could achieve by working together are limitless," he stated. Coming from any other voice that would have sounded clichéd, but Alek took him seriously. "Observe this tigeresque here. You've been working with it for some time now. Can you tell me any differences you observe from the other species here?"

Alek thought a moment. "Well, it does seem to have taken a liking to Dylan."

At this, Nora Barlow stepped in. "This particular beast has got similar brain chemistry to your Loris," she said . "It has the ability to recognize friend from foe. Not just on an appearance level, but on a threat assessment level. It can perceive the hostility of one person similarly to how human beings do. As a side effect, it develops attachment easily."

Alek turned to Dr. Barlow. "Do you suggest that we give it Clanker qualities as well?"

"I'm not suggesting it, I am already pursuing it," she answered with a sly smile.

"How?" he asked curiously.

"I've asked your old storm-walker crew to help me. They've been commissioned to create a saddle for the beast. This saddle hooks onto its front and rear legs. As the tigeresque bounds forward, the movements of the harnesses power a capacitor that fuels the instruments in the saddle." Dr. Barlow pointed along the beast's side as she spoke.

"Instruments?" Deryn asked.

"Mounting a communication antenna could give the riders of this beast the power to relay instant information all the way back to the homeland from the far reaches of the continent," she responded.

"And don't forget the optional Tesla charge" Jeremy threw in.

"The what?" Alek asked.

"Yes well, Master Klopp suggested that in case of emergency, all power stored in the capacitor cell could be released at once in all directions, acting as a electric pulse weapon."

"Wouldn't that hurt the poor beastie?" Deryn asked from behind.

"Not as long as the beast remains grounded and the harness is mounted properly. It is shock-proof Clanker technology developed with this animal in mind," Dr. James Barlow added. The concept seemed both ridiculous, and ingenious at the same time. This tiger could already outrun a storm walker, but with the pulse weapon, it could escape from them each time even when surrounded.

"So you've planned this whole device with Hoffman and Bauer back in the U.S.?" Deryn asked.

"They sent us parts and designs that show us how to construct it and everything." Richard was acting all proud now.

Dr. Hammond turned back to Alek. "The point, Prince Aleksander, is that the weaknesses of both aspects of the design are ameliorated by the fusion of technology. Do you understand?" Dr. Hammond asked.

"I think I do. But how exactly do you expect the nations to respond to this?" Alek wondered if this was even politically possible with a war still going on.

"Who knows? My guess is that people will only begin to accept it once it has proven to work," Dr. Hammond suggested. The Tigeresque noticed them now and examined the strangers carefully. It began eyeing the bowler hats and moustaches closely. It did not seem threatened but was rather curious. Its eyes opened a bit wider and made its way to Alek who was standing at the center of the cage door. It looked at him closely and nudged its nose in-between the bars of the cage as far as it could, breathing a bit heavier. It usually acts like this around Deryn, Alek thought. Why would the beast take a liking to him? Then Alek remembered that he probably smelled like Deryn from sleeping last night. The thought was threatening to make him blush so he turned to the others.

"Why don't we head back inside for some lunch? The Lorises are probably inside chatting up a storm." He suggested.

"Excellent idea. Dylan, please go into the kitchen and take the tea off the stove. Have you gotten the papers as well?" Dr. Barlow asked.

"Yes mam," Deryn said as she took of towards the house. Alek followed the rest of them as they walked back. His mind was still reeling a bit. To think that this man actually designed the very ship he spent the most important months of his life on. The airship was a combination of hundreds of species, Deryn told him. Each one held a specific purpose and canceled out the weaknesses of the others. Yet here was the designer saying Clanker technology was the solution to all its problems. Alek paused once he reached the door to the house. Perhaps he really was turning into a Darwinist.

Alek walked through the back door and stopped. Something was not right. The newspapers were splayed all over the floor and the front door was wide open. A cool breeze wafted through the door and Alek could hear the tea-kettle wailing in the kitchen. Most importantly, Deryn was nowhere to be found. Alek looked around frantically for a moment. He was about to call out when heard a crinkle of pages underneath his foot. He looked down at the newspaper. The front page was backwards so he knelt down and flipped it over. The headline read,

_**MINOTAUR **_**SHOT DOWN OVER AUSTRIA**

Alek held his breath for a moment and looked out the front door.

"Deryn!" he called out, and ran after her.

* * *

**A/N:** So I was going to save this one for Friday but I realized this is the chapter that has got PLOT to it. Thats probably why the first couple chapters were a little dull, plot. It picks up from here don't you worry. So Dr. James Barlow is the Third representation of the TOP GEAR hosts. Google James May if you're curious. Love those brits. Let me know how I'm doing and more will come next week. Cheers.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Deryn soon found herself at the center of the Battersea Bridge behind her apartment building. She had sprinted there and now her legs and lungs ached terribly. As she began to catch her breath, she willed for the ache to stay; anything to distract her from Jaspert.

Jaspert. Her stomach felt as though it had vanished inside her, leaving an empty hole behind. A sick, falling sensation took her over; much like when the _Leviathan_ began to dive during the night while she slept. There was a sick, horrible feeling of panic and doubt until the captain released the ballast and the ship began to rise again. But it did not rise this time.

Deryn looked out over the water, the midday sun glistening off of the surface. A breeze came to her and blew her hair back. She always liked this bridge. It was the closest thing she had to flying now. But this time, the breeze went right through her and made the tears on her face feel icy cold.

She should have been there. If that freak storm during the midshipman exam hadn't carried her off, she would have served onboard the _Minotaur _with her brother. There is no doubt she would be dead now if that had happened. The explosion itself is deadly enough but there was the enemy as well. The Austrians are pressed for resources and manpower at this point in the war so they cannot afford the time and energy needed to take prisoners. Yet somehow, that is where she wanted to be right now.

"Deryn!" she heard from behind her. That boy is faster than she gives him credit if he could catch up to her so quickly. He was making his way across the bridge now. If he had figured out where she was, then he knew exactly what was going on.

"Deryn, I'm . . . I'm so sorry" he said while still catching his breath. She just looked back at him with a dry expression on her face, and then turned back to the water.

"I should have been there, Alek," her voice broke a bit.

"Don't say that! We don't even–" Alek was cut off when she glared back at him. She new what he was about to say and didn't want to hear it. Alek simply breathed and asked, "what does it say?"

Deryn looked at him, a bit confused, and followed his gaze to her hand. She was clutching one of the copies of the paper in her fist. She didn't even realize it when she was running. She debated tossing it into the river but then she sighed and simply released it. The pages floated in the wind over to Alek's feet where he knelt down and began to read it to himself.

Silence followed for a few minutes. Alek leaned up against the wall of the bridge and Deryn continued to look out onto the water. She wondered what exactly happened for a moment, but decided against finding out, at least for now. Tears were threatening to form again when she heard a short "hmmm" come from Alek. She heard him whisper something, and she looked towards him. His expression was dark but thoughtful. Deryn could almost hear him contemplating something. He looked up at her and stuffed the paper in his jacket pocket.

"Deryn," he said softly. He stepped towards her and held her cheeks in his hands. "I don't want to see you like this again. Don't worry, everything will be alright." He wiped her tears with his thumbs.

"How can you say that?" she cried at him.

"Because Deryn . . ." he said and smiled. All of the sudden he seemed sure of himself. He was full of conviction and purpose, just like he was whenever he spoke of providence. "I think your brother is alive, and we are going to find him and bring him home."

* * *

A/N: So, this is a short one but full of good stuff. I've got the next chapter primed and ready to go so I'm going to release it THIS week because I cannot wait either. Maybe I'll make this story a Monday/Friday thing. Mondays will suck less and Fridays will be that much better. Review it if you think differently. Thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The boy had gone mad. Deryn was sure of it. After he spoke on the bridge, he took her by the hand and raced over to the London Zoo. The whole way there he was barking on about providence and Austria and the war. Deryn was only catching bits and pieces but she kept up with him till they arrived.

The Zoological Society claimed that the London Zoo was a modest establishment, but Deryn begged to differ. The archway over the entrance was two and a half stories high and the front lobby was enormous with a domed ceiling. Marble tiles lined the floor and the windows let in enough sunlight to make the extravagant chandeliers useless. He led her to the lady boffin's office, where they reported to her regularly. He looked around frantically at the walls, and began to climb up a ladder on the bookshelf to reach for something.

"Are you daft? What's this all about?" she yelled. He didn't seem to hear her. He was fingering his way through the books along the shelf and pulled out an atlas and air-current manual. He quickly climbed down and slapped both books onto the boffin's desk and began tearing through the pages. As he went on, he finally began explaining himself.

"That article said that the _Minotaur _was shot down 4 nights ago north of Feldkirch by anti-aircraft artillery. The airship was apparently being switched fleets from the French-German front to the Mediterranean fleet. For some reason it cut eastward against the wind to cross over Austria and was shot down." Alek was still tearing through the atlas like crazy.

"Aye! What are you getting at?" Deryn asked frantically.

"Look!" he said and pointed to the page he stopped at. It was a map of Austria and he pointed to a small dot on the left side labeled Feldkirch. "They went down right next to the Swiss boarder!" he continued and opened up the second book, looking through traditional airflows and wind speeds. "Your ship was shot down too, right? But it didn't simply explode and then drop where it was shot, it drifted down like a leaf." Alek found another map of Austria in the second book, only this one had all sorts of arrows that seemed to show currents. "The _Minotaur_ did catch fire but only _after_ it crashed which means . . . Aha!" He exclaimed and slammed a finger down on the page in front of him. "Look. The winds over Feldkirch are traditionally out of the east! If the winds were out of the east, it would have pushed the ship towards the boarder. Any surviving crew would have fled across it since the Swiss are still neutral in the war." He was looking back up at her now, a hopeful smile splayed on his face.

She knew it. He's gone mad. "Alek, even if anyone did survive and flee into Switzerland, the Austrians would be hot on their trail."

"I do not think so. Sending out a search and destroy party would be terribly risky for them. The Swiss being neutral at this point in the war is vital for Austria to be able to protect its western boarders. They might provoke the Swiss into the war and the last thing they need right now is more enemies," Alek said.

"Why wouldn't they? The Germans were right on top of us after we crashed there!" Deryn said.

"That's because their prize was the _Leviathan_, one England's most famous and powerful airships. I doubt anyone would do the same for the crew of a smaller, already-dead airship." Alek had a point.

"But we've _been_ there Alek. You know what its like! Just mountains and snow! They would never make it far. And if the Swiss boarder patrol caught them, they'd be thrown out." Deryn didn't know why exactly she wanted so badly to disprove Alek, but she kept on trying. Then, the mad smile returned to his face as he looked down at the atlas again.

"Look here," he said quietly. His voice was low and his finger pointed to an illustration of a mountain range west of Felkirch. "That mountain right there was supposed to be where I spent the war, hiding. That is where you crashed and I found you buried in the snow. That fortress is still there, and could easily house the crew in a place where no one would find them."

Deryn's eyes went wide. Pieces of his logic were coming together in her head. She couldn't quite believe what she was hearing. It was too coincidental, too farfetched to be real. He continued, "If they kept heading away from Austria, that would be the only bit of civilization they would find. Don't you see Deryn? Providence led us there before, and now it is leading us there again, this time for your brother." His providence talk always annoyed her before, but now it was starting to make sense.

"And just how are you proposing to get there?" a voice came from the door. They both looked up horrified to find the lady boffin standing in the open doorway with a scowl on her face. Her Loris was perched upon her shoulder. Behind her was Dr. Hammond with Bovril perched upon his. "More importantly, what were you planning to do about your duties here at the Zoological society?" she asked angrily.

"Duties!" her Loris bombastically repeated and then promptly 'hmphed'. Alek and Deryn both looked back, not knowing what to say. What _were_ they thinking exactly? Were they just going to prance across war-torn Europe to find one person who may or may not be alive? They must be both mad now.

Just then, Bovril jumped from his perch and joined them on the desk. He looked at the two of them, and then back at the boffins. He gazed at them for a moment and stuttered, "Beastie." Everyone looked at the Loris for a moment before he continued. "Tigeresque. Vast wildernesses. Fortnight." Usually each of these words would be followed by a chuckle, but right now the Loris seemed to be completely serious. "Clanker and Darwinist technology. . . for science," it muttered, then went silent.

"Hah! Nora your creations have proven to be most perspicacious indeed," Dr. Hammond laughed. "I think it is suggesting that you let them take your tigeresque fabrication on a rescue operation. Think Nora, it is the perfect opportunity to test the collaboration with your Clanker friends. These two can feed us wireless intel as they go, giving us important information from the front. If they do discover the whereabouts of these missing crewmen, then they can give us the exact location and we can report to the Admiralty where to find them. That would be the perfect way to introduce your newest creation to them, by showing them how to do their job. Ha-ha! It is simply perfect."

Deryn and Alek both stared at the boffin with wide eyes and open mouths. Not only did he support the Loris's idea but he was also very persuasive. Dr. Hammond continued, "And who better to test your creation than your assistants? One of which is an experienced soldier and the other who is an Austrian prince! Clankers and Darwanists working together at their finest." They both looked back at Dr. Barlow, who was drumming her fingers with her arms crossed.

A long silence paused as she contemplated the suggestion. After standing there, eyes pressed on the floor, she spoke. "I'm oddly comfortable with idea," she calmly uttered as she began walking out the door. "They'll need provisions, whatever military intel on the event that is available, and they'll need to get that saddle working." She trailed off as she left back into the lobby. Dr. Hammond turned to follow. He smiled back at the two wordless assistants behind him, then closed the door behind him. Alek and Deryn stared at each other in awe of what just transpired.

A shocked silence fell over the room. Deryn felt a mixture of excited, terrified, and confused. Everyone just used science as an excuse to let her go chase after her brother. She could not believe how lucky she was. She turned to Alek and promptly began kissing him feverishly. Bovril sat on the desk watching them embrace for a few moments. It was a risky maneuver to pull and she knew it, but right then she did not care. They broke off and smiled at each other. Alek looked astonished yet happy as well. He knew just how lucky they both were. He looked over at the desk and stroked Bovril's fur a bit.

"Thank you Bovril," he said softly. The Loris seemed to bow back at him and uttered in response,

"Your bum-ragness."

**A/N:** Happy Friday everyone. So yea, this is the pretence for the story. It's taken 6 chapters but now you know what it's all about. Hope you keep reading. Reviews are becoming the most delightful treat so even if you're anonymous, just leave something and tell me how I'm doing. Till monday, Ciao.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The crate finally popped open with a loud crack and few nails hit the ground with a soft 'ting'. Alek dove headfirst into the contents, most of which was hay to keep whatever else was inside safe. After a moment with head in the box like an Ostridge with its head in the ground, the boy resurfaced with whatever it was he found in his grasp. It was a large ring of cast-iron with copper wire wrapped tightly around it in four sections. A capacitor sure enough, Alek thought. He looked back into the crate and discovered three more just like it. Odd, he thought. These contraptions look vaguely familiar.

"Where have I seen these before?" Alek asked loudly to the people behind him who were tending to the other crates.

Dr. Barlow was the first to respond with, "Those are Mr. Tesla's creations." Alek whirled around at her astonished. She simply continued observing the other crates while she spoke. "I had my associates in New York search for any parts that Mr. Bauer requested at the Goliath wreckage site," she said calmly. "They've all been altered to fit the beast of course."

Alek looked back at the iron ring in his hands. He was not sure how he felt about bringing back technology from that part of his life. It felt a bit like grave robbing. He decided to get past it and keep digging through the crate. As he pulled up a long metal rod with a ball at one end, Deryn came up behind him with Bovril on her shoulder.

"You're gonna have to impress us, your princelyness. Most people here speak German well enough, but you're the only one who speaks actual Clanker. What the devil is a _Krapfen_?" Deryn asked. She had a stack of papers in her hands and was eyeing through them completely lost.

"A donut," Alek pointed out. "Bauer said he spilled jelly on the side of the page. Real Clanker stuff, you wouldn't understand."

"Get stuffed you ninny." She handed the pages to Alek who eyed them curiously. These designs were well thought out and precise. The measurements of the beast's back, legs, shoulders and head were all given over a sketch of the creature. Bauer and Hoffman must have been at this for months now.

Alek hoped that they were doing alright in the U.S. and that they weren't getting in trouble with their new jobs. These machines took time to build properly. "Will it fit?" Deryn asked. Alek took the iron ring in one hand and slid it over a metal casing he picked up out of the crate next to him. The pieces joined together with a satisfying click and Alek smiled.

"I think they have out-done themselves this time," Alek said, eying the new contraption. The ring fit on top of the casing perfectly, creating a bowl-shape. He then took the rod and placed the ball-end inside the bowl contraption. "See? It's a joint. As the beast moves around, the movements of this joint power the capacitor to act as fuel for the antenna. There is also an electric furnace, incase we need to endure extreme cold."

"That is part of the plan. We are headed for the Alps, after all. But what good is a heater going to do on the back of a saddle?" Deryn asked. A giggle came from her shoulder and the Loris muttered, "contraption. Out-done themselves," before chuckling again.

"The whole saddle is sheltered under an aluminum roof. The inside is big enough for about four people or the two of us and supplies. The casing around us will provide insulation from the cold. It's light, but strong enough to protect us from any light. Though it'll be less than helpful against artillery." Alek gestured to another crate with a large metal plate on the inside.

"Wouldn't want to make things too barking easy now would we?" Deryn said as she rolled her eyes. Alek had to agree that being stuck in a can strapped to the back of a thundering tiger-wolf did not sound as smooth as silk, or anything close to comfortable. But she was a soldier so she would handle herself.

Alek fished through another crate and found a thin iron rod with a leather handle on one side. There was a completely identical one right behind it. He looked back at the designs for a moment, then back at the rod. He had guessed right. Saunters.

_Well,_ he thought, _This just became more interesting._

"Dylan, this right here is the most important part to the whole saddle," he said waving it at her.

"Why is that exactly?" She was just humoring him now, he could tell.

"This is what is going to give us control of the beast," he said back. "Look," gestured at the designs, looking at the whole saddle. "The bottom of the saddle is lined with small nodes hidden in leather. If we want the beast to go in one direction, we twist the saunters and the nodes power up on one side of the beast's hide. A series of small electric shocks act like motivators. It will want to head away from the shocks and it will turn in the opposite direction," Alek explained.

Deryn looked up a bit worried. "That is just constant torture for the poor animal," Deryn said loudly.

"It's either that or a whip," Alek retorted. He was suddenly feeling excited about the concept now. He was worried he would just be riding the back of the beast like luggage. With these controls however, the experience would not be all that different from piloting a Stormwalker. A very _furry _Stormwalker. He expected that the journey would be odd for them both, but for different reasons.

Alek saw both Darwins and both Barlows making their way to the two of them. He stood up and Bovril climbed down from Deryn's shoulder onto the nearest crate. "Boffins," he stated loudly enough for them to hear. Dr. Barlow's Loris grunted back, "Research operations." Dr. Nora Barlow spoke first.

"The military intel does not give us much to operate on sadly. We know that the crash occurred on Monday last, and that no rescue operation has been conducted as of yet. Any large scale search attempt would take longer than 24 hours, which violates the Swiss's Neutrality."

Her husband was the next to speak. "But you boys will be strictly there for scientific purposes, which is why we are not telling the Admiralty of the operation just yet. Along your way, you will report to us using the commutation array and coded messages. We will record every stage of your progress and the details of the beast's performance," he stated.

"That is where we come in handy," Richard stepped in. "Each one of us will be listening to radio communications in shifts around the clock. We need to observe every last bit about your expedition."

"Good science is good observation," Jeremy added.

"Good observation," Bovril repeated.

"It will take anywhere between a week and twelve days to get to the Alps. The saddle design, ingenious sure enough, does not allow the tigeresque to move at full speed. It will be difficult to move quickly, but you need to keep the necessary supplies to feed the beast as you go. The beast will not be able to hunt with the saddle on and removing it will spend too much time, which even now is of the essence," Dr. Nora Barlow finished. Her gaze narrowed to Alek. He knew full well that it was up to him to get the saddle working properly, or else the whole mission was for a bust. "How soon will you have the saddle ready to depart?" she asked.

Alek turned and began fixing more parts together before he turned and answered,

"Yesterday."

**A/N:** Not the best chapter I must agree, but things are getting interesting. Review if you want more chapters faster or sooner or better or whatever. Cheers.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The next 12 hours were the busiest in Alek's life. Putting the parts all together would have been difficult enough; it was strapping them to the 9-foot tall meat-devouring tiger-wolf that made the work extra difficult. Alek had Deryn calm the beast down whenever he needed to strap something on, but it was still terrifying for him. With every movement of the beast's massive leg, Alek could hear all of his instincts begging for him to turn and run. But he kept his feet planted and his head in line. No time to be skittish now.

The Loris was fast asleep, as were all the Darwinists. Only he, Deryn, and the large white beast remained, who was resting already. The legs of the tiger-wolf were covered with metal braces that held the saddle together. Each brace was lined with a thick rubber sheet and strapped on with strong leather belts. The last pieces to put on now were the saddle itself and the beast's headgear, both of which lay out next to the cage, ready to go.

The saddle was more of a piloting chamber than a saddle one would find on the back of a horse. The metal casing had openings at the front and on the sides that were just small enough to see through. The entire front half was folded backward so that the rider's could see from every angle, but only if they weren't in any danger from attack. The side compartments were filled to the brim with supplies, most of which was meat.

Deryn walked over to him. "Alek, we need some rest," she said in German. "The boffin's airship will take us to the northern shores of France in the morning. We'll need to be able to travel after that."

"I want the saddle ready to go before we leave. We can sleep on the way to France anyway," Alek said whilst laying out the last of the supplies in the deepest part of the saddle. His voice rang in the metallic chamber.

"Well excuse me but I do not fancy sleeping then. This will be the first airship I have been on since the _Leviathan_, and I intend to enjoy it," Deryn said back. She made her way to the cage and eyed the beast. Alek popped his head out of the saddle chamber and brushed himself off a bit. He checked the clock on the head of the saddle. Shisse was it 3 am? He sighed and joined Deryn by the cage.

"Alright, lets sleep a bit," he said. He noticed Deryn looked a little uneasy. She eyed the beast very seriously, as if she was thinking of something entirely different. "Don't worry Deryn, this will work," he said softly.

"The battlefields and snowy tundra don't worry me Alek. I'm worried about what we'll find. Or rather, what we won't find." She gripped the bars of the cage a little harder. Alek put his hand on her shoulder, and she breathed out a little softer. "Lets just get some rest. We'll be loading up in a few hours," she said before turning to leave. "Goodnight girl," she yelled back.

"Why do you keep referring to the creature as girl?" Alek asked, following her out of the stable. "I thought all your godless creations did not have genders."

"Normally they don't, but the boffin said that in both tigeresque and lupine packs, the females are usually the best hunters. She wanted to keep that similar brain chemistry in that one. The fact that she is actually female was an unintended side effect," Deryn explained.

Alek pondered this for a moment. Does that mean that, given the opportunity, these beasts could breed and roam in the wild? The stories children would hear about monsters in the woods would suddenly ring true. "Does she have a classification?" he asked.

"You mean a name?" She asked back. Alek nodded. "Well, the boffin said she wasn't going to give it a military identification yet but she refers to it as . . . eh, it was something like Captain, or Capitol . . ." She wondered aloud.

"Capitoline?" Alek suggested.

"Aye, that's it. A Capitoline Tiger, what does that mean anyway?" she asked.

"The Capitoline Wolf was the wolf from the Roman fable. Two brothers, Remus and Romulus, were said to be abandoned at birth and found by a she-wolf. That wolf raised the two brothers, who eventually went on to create the Roman Empire." Alek thought that calling it a Capitoline Tiger was simply another way of saying lupine-tigeresque, but it seemed a little too specific that this creature would be carrying two young boys, officially anyway.

The night was cold but eerily calm. Four months ago, a trip across Europe would not have seemed thrilling at all, even despite the vast battlefields, blistering mountains, and 9-foot tall beast that Alek was sure would eat them if they ran out of meat. The howling dark of tomorrow seemed so loud in the quiet of this night. Alek and Deryn kept walking silently, contemplating the morning flight. After ages of silence, Deryn finally asked, "D'you really think we'll make it?" Alek took what she said very seriously, thought for moment, and spoke.

"I don't know, Deryn. But by God we're going to try."

**A/N: **Ohhh sorry folks, I totally forgot to upload this yesterday. Sorry its short but next one is more exciting.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Poor Alek was not getting any sleep on the way to France. Both Barlows were throwing everything they had at him; discussing route options, places to avoid, how to transmit coded messages and on which frequency. The boffins had given Deryn this briefing before while Alek was working on the saddle, so now she could more thoroughly enjoy the airship.

It was a military grade frigate in the form of a giant narwhal. Nothing close to the size of the _Leviathan_ of course, but it could still make a monkey-luddite cringe at the sight. In a proper fleet, two of these would accompany a larger airship on either side. It was a dark shade of blue and brown and was faster than any other airship that The Admiralty commissioned, making it the perfect reconnaissance vessel. It was equipped with some of the same weapons as the larger ships; air cannons, strafing hawks, and a few aerial bombs but no Flechetté bats. Instead, a giant horn was mounted up front facing outward.

Deryn assumed the horn was a fabrication. Surely no natural creature would bare such an odd instrument poking out of its big daft head like that. This horn was used when a zeppelin was spotted. That was when these frigates really came in handy. These air beasts could achieve ramming speeds quickly and when a zeppelin got run through with one of those it would bleed out its hydrogen until it fell to the ground. Deryn remembered in the manual of aeronautics that the membrane was the most fire-resistant in the fleet. The outer layer was so thick that they scrubbed hydrogen sniffers in order to save weight.

God this beast could move. Its motivator engines were more powerful and its cilia were enormous in comparison to the _Leviathan's_. Deryn stuck her head out of the main cabin window on the starboard side to get a look at its flank. No ratlines. _Blisters. _Looks like no going dorsal today. That didn't matter too much. After four months of nothing but land, this felt like a breath of fresh air.

Deryn's hair fluttered in the wind and her nose filled with the aroma of salt water. They had long since passed the cliffs of Dover and were now halfway across the straights. She could see a sliver of land on the horizon. A short while longer and they would get to test Alek's handiwork. She started to shiver and realized she was letting in the cold November air into the cabin so she brought her head back in and closed the window. The Barlows were still giving Alek all they had. Deryn sighed and decided to enjoy the sight of flying when Dr. Hammond came beside her.

"Good afternoon doctor," she said politely.

"Indeed it is. May I have a word with you Mr. Sharp?" he asked.

His voice was dimmer now. Deryn guessed that this was as close as he would come to whispering. She decided to tread carefully. "Yes sir, what about?"

"I've read your record from the Admiralty about your service aboard the _Leviathan. _You were certainly quite the soldier," he said with a nod. She simply smiled as a thank you. "Yes you saved the airbeast's hide more than once. But you only spent a few months aboard before joining Dr. Barlow here. Now, why would a soldier of your caliber quit at the height of her career?"

Deryn went wide-eyed at the man with her mouth open. _Her. _She quickly realized how that look on her face betrayed her and turned her head away, which did not help either. _Well,_ she thought_. That answers that question._

"I see," he mumbled. "Mr. Sharp, I have studied the effects of fabricated species on natural selection for decades now. Do you know what I have discovered about our fabrications?" he asked. She decided that her disguise was beyond saving at this point and looked back up at him fearfully. "None of our fabricated species last longer than a few years on their own, even when they are released into a hospitable environment. The natural species have something that we've never been able to replicate." He paused for a moment and leaned closer to her. "Adaptation."

"Sir?" She asked clearly confused.

He looked back at the window. "When the monsoons come, the finches learn to borough in higher places. When there is drought, they learn to drink the due off of the vegetation. No one teaches them these things, mind you. They simply take in their surroundings and use it how they can."

He turned back to Deryn, looking dead in her eye. "You, dear girl, are a wonderful example of this. You went from whatever life you had before the military to becoming the best midshipman the _Leviathan_ has ever seen in just a few months. You then left to become a valuable asset to the Zoological Society without even needing training or a scientific education. When your environment changes, you simply adapt to live in it," he said. All the while, Deryn took what he said very seriously. He breathed for a moment and began to step back to the others. "I admire you. You've figured it out somehow. If you uncover the secret, do please let me know," he said and smiled before turning back to the Barlows.

"Barking spiders," Deryn whispered. Here was one of the designers of the _Leviathan_ telling her that she was the best midshipman ever, _after_ discovering her secret. Jaspert would have a thing or two to say right about now.

At the thought of Jaspert, her eyes drifted back to the window. They were closer to shore now, and it was time to suit up.

* * *

Her feet hit the floor with a clank as she gazed upward at the Capitoline.

The beast looked _magnificent. _The saddle that was now fixed upon its shoulders rattled a bit as it shook its hide to and fro. The sharp headgear fitted on its head ran between its eyes, covering the Tigeresque's cranium with aluminum and steel. By the looks of it, it had already been fed properly and was in need of some exercise. It was curiously eyeing Tazza who sat fearfully beside the lady boffin.

Deryn, however, thought _she_ looked rather ridiculous. The boffin had given her traveling clothes to suit an adventurer from those moving-picture shows from New York. Her leather jacket was thin and her gloves had holes in the fingers. Her trousers were tighter than the ones from her midshipman uniform, but were loose enough to move around in. Around her waist was a thin leather belt that had a small carbineer dangling off one side. She would have to stay clipped in to the saddle while the front half was opened. She wore thick leather shoes and her midshipman goggles on her head. She was given a scarf but elected not to wear it just yet.

Alek was behind her, eyeing the beast as well. He was in almost all leather as well. His jacket was lined with wool and his trousers were thick at the knees. He wore a pair of goggles around his neck above a white scarf. Deryn was use to him being all dressed up in his prince-duds. For some reason, these traveling clothes made him look oddly dashing.

"We'll be making landfall in five!" a crewmember shouted from the top of the cabin. The beast was in the cargo bay leashed to the floor on either side and was facing the gangway. It looked at Deryn with clever eyes that darted back and forth. Clearly it knew something was going on and was excited to say the least. She then heard Dr. Barlow speak from behind her.

"Present these credentials at the border of Switzerland and they'll let you in," she said thrusting an envelope in her hands. " . . . And wear those if you aren't going into the market," she gestured at Alek. He was handed two belts with a pistol holstered in each. He looked at them for a moment, then handed one to Deryn. She strapped it around her waist and looked at the boffin for any other instructions. Dr. Barlow just looked back at her as if inspecting her.

"The saddle has been given enough charge to see that the instruments work at your departure. Watch the instruments carefully and . . . do take care of the beast. I expect it returned in acceptable condition," she said after a moment. Deryn Saluted and turned to the Capitoline. Alek followed and they both scampered up the side.

Bovril was waiting for them inside already looking curiously at the two of them. She took the envelope and stuffed it under the furs that were packed inside the rear of the saddle. The front half of the roof was folded down, exposing the riders to the elements. The beast took a deep breath and huffed it out. Deryn could feel the beast breathing and pawing at the floor beneath her. It was ready to go at any moment. Alek looked at her as he eased himself to the saunters.

"You ready?" he asked her. She did not need to answer him. She simply crawled to a metal ring that was on his right side and clipped herself in. He nodded and found the power switch. He flicked it on. All the lights in front of them came alive. The instruments lit up their faces in the dark of the cargo bay. Deryn looked down. A compass, a clock, dials of some kind, and few switches here and there lined the front of the saddle. She would either have to learn fast or trust Alek with all the Clanker stuff completely. _Learn Fast_, she told herself, _just in case._

"Clear!" she heard someone shout from in front of her. Suddenly the leashes attached to the saddle flew off and the massive door in front of them opened up in one fell swoop. The door hit the ground with a loud boom and Deryn was blinded by the outside world for a moment. Then she felt the Captioline set its feet. Deryn ducked down and braced herself.

All at once, the beast gave a loud snarl and leapt forward. It cleared the ramp all in one leap and bounded forward into the countryside.

* * *

**A/N:** We all know Narwhals do in fact have those horn things thats no secret. Kind of rushed this one but here it is on monday as promised. Hope you enjoy this and the next one as well. Review cause I love that. Thanks to all of you who have reviewed thus far. Thank you so much for reading. Until friday, Cheers.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The beast roared and darted forward before Alek had the chance to grab the saunters. Luckily he was clipped in or else he would have flown off the saddle. It was fortunate that did not happen because this beast showed no signs of stopping. With every massive bound the Capitoline took, the whole saddle bounced upward, floated for a moment, and then jolted back down as the beast hit the ground.

Alek could hear its massive paws striking the ground with four loud thuds. His eyes began to water from the wind in his face so he pulled on his goggles to see where he was going. It was not till then that he ventured a look behind him. The airship was still anchored on the hilltop they were dropped on, but was far behind them.

Alek leaned forward and grabbed hold of the saunters. With each bound, his clip pulled him down towards the ground. The saunters helped steady him for a moment. He ventured a slight left turn with his hands. The beast roared out in defiance and quickly veered left, sending Alek and Deryn reeling to one side.

"What was that?" Deryn shouted over the wind.

"I'm not sure," He answered back. He looked down at the dials for a moment. The two at the right, labeled 'amps,' were pressed all the way to the right in the red zone. "We're taking in too much electricity from the Captioline's movements," Alek told her.

"What do we do?" she asked clearly worried.

"See that lever above the dial? Pull it down to a quarter power," Alek barked. She quickly did as she was told and the dials slowly moved back left. The beast seemed to calm down a bit. It huffed a little quiter as its strides became less violent. The movements now were smoother and predictable, letting Alek think clearly for a moment.

Gods Wounds this animal was fast. Dr. Barlow told him it could out run a Stormwalker but Alek did not believe that until now. Of course, the Stormwalker was more comfortable and would never get tired. But this beast worked well with just the two of them.

The empty grasslands ahead soon turned into a low riding forest. The beast slowed down a bit and began weaving through the trees with excellent precision. Each bound was now a carefully executed maneuver. The Capitoline's head darted around looking for a route through the trees, which it seemed to do with ease. Alek couldn't keep up with its movements so he gave up on the saunters for now. He figured that he could use them when he knew where he was going.

"Where are we headed first?" He asked Deryn. She had her goggles on too and was eyeing the compass.

"Head south by south-east. We need to pass in between Soissons and Paris. Do you reckon we'll do that by sundown?" She asked.

"At this pace I guarantee it. When do you want to stop for the night?"

"Whenever the beast gets tired," She guessed. Alek frowned. That could be this time tomorrow for all he knew. Alek did not think he had it in him to continue past sundown.

"We'll try and see if– Woah!" Alek ducked as a low hanging branch flew over him, narrowly missing his face. Deryn ducked as well but did not seem the least bit phased. In fact, she seemed to be enjoying this.

"It's not flying, " she said. "But its pretty close," She told him with a big smile on her face. Alek was glad she could enjoy things like this despite everything else.

The beast started flying up a hillside in the forest, sending both riders backward with their straps taught. Alek saw they were drifting westward, so he used the saunters to lightly nudge the beast back to the southeast. The beast was much more agreeable now, and the saunters felt familiar again. _It's just a walker that's alive,_ he thought.

"Siossons and Paris," he heard from behind him. Bovril was now nestled in the compartment where the furs were packed. His eyes were wide and he seemed to be taking in the sights with enough curiosity to drown any sense of fear. But then again, Alek could not remember any instance where Bovril showed signs of fear.

They past the top of the hill and could see the countryside that lay out in front of them. Miles and miles of beautiful French countryside lay ahead as Alek bounced up and down on the creature's back. This was going to be an interesting first day.

* * *

"Whew!" Alek heard Deryn grunt, as she dropped from the saddle with a thud. The beast heaved with each breath, shaking Alek on the saddle up and down most nauseatingly. He began to unclip himself when she stopped him. "Wait! Throw me down the first day's meat before you get down," she bellowed.

Alek turned to look for the meat rations when he was reminded that he needed to contact the Barlows at sundown. He muscled a large leather pack from the bowels of the saddle and tossed it down. It hit the ground with a thump and rolled to a stop. "Thanks Clanker," he heard her yell.

He continued rustling through the bowels of the saddle with his forearm buried deep in its contents. Suddenly, the whole compartment lurched forward and Alek clung onto whatever was in his hand. The beast must have been digging into its dinner, he thought, and began shaking the saddle back and forth. Alek found what he was looking for and turned it clockwise a quarter. "Got it," he said through gritted teeth, before he lost his grip. He stumbled out of the saddle, rolled off the beast's back, and hit the ground with a thump.

"Ugh, useless . . . godless creatures," he cursed with the wind knocked out of him.

"Easy there, Clanker. Don't want to insult anything this size," Deryn said from the beast's front.

"Ok Clanker?" Bovril asked from atop the saddle. He appeared to enjoy the ride the Capitoline was giving him.

"Well," Alek coughed, "at least one of you was concerned for my well being. I'm alright Bovril," he said as he rolled over and pushed himself up.

"What were you doing anyway?" Deryn asked.

"Connecting the antenna to the main circuit. We need to contact the Barlows at sundown and your soulless beast threw me off his back." He gestured to the beast that was now licking the remnants of the leather pack.

"Easy your highness. She's just eating. And what makes her soulless?" she asked.

"The fact that she is against god's creation," He said casually while climbing back up the Capitoline's flank.

"Well, fine. It's barking better than all that metal you Clankers live in. No life, no feeling, no nothing. Just a heartless scrap of iron." Alek had passed up to the top of the saddle again and Deryn was shouting from the ground.

"Very well, Clankers are heartless and Darwanists are soulless," Alek said while easing himself to the front of the saddle. He put his hand on the release lever for the antenna. "But, if you put the two together," he started and pulled on the release mechanism. The antenna shot upward from in-between the beast's shoulder blades. For a moment, there was a slipping sound of metal against metal as the pole shot upwards. It came to a quick halt and was towering 30 feet above the beast, Alek guessed. He let out a satisfied sigh, "and you get a completed being."

"Or you get a demon with no heart or soul," Deryn laughed.

"Maybe to our enemies. Lets hope none find us on the way through France," Alek said while pulling a pair of headphones on and began listening.

The woods they settled in where thick. The spot they picked was atop a hill that overlooked the surrounding area in front of them. Crickets were already chirping and the air was laced with a chill. Alek noticed Deryn was already digging into her dinner rations. Bovril was now sitting on top of a rock just above the Capitoline's head and was looking curiously into its eyes and mimicking its noises.

Alek couldn't help but feel oddly comfortable with his surroundings. He daydreamed about how he wouldn't mind trips like this for recreation some day, as long as he could keep similar company. He and Deryn could travel anywhere they wanted. A sense of freedom filled him up before he was shaken back to reality by the static-cluttered voice of James Barlow.

"Hail One. Hail One. Capitoline One."

Alek picked up the mouthpiece and hailed back. "Return One, return One. Capitoline One. Status Green." _No freedom yet_, he thought. _We need to find her brother first._

* * *

**A/N: **Before history buffs get at me, remember Tesla used similar tech aboard the Leviathan on the way to America to communicate so think of this as a stretch of that part of history too.

Happy Friday to all my lovely readers. I've noticed some are fellow leviathan fanfic artists of which I adore already so thank you all for reading. I'm flattered really.

Now, next chapter is Monday so sit tight. Review if you want but don't feel its necessary. Cheers.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The sun hadn't even risen yet but sunlight was still peering over the horizon. Deryn took a good look over the hill they camped at and took another bite of her jerky. The scent must have woke the Capitoline up because it walked over and nuzzled Deryn's shoulder.

"No beastie! This is mine. I'll give you breakfast once the prince wakes up," she said with a face full of fur. She then got a wicked idea.

She inched over to Alek's sleeping bag and poked him a little bit. He stirred but did not wake up. An evil smile crept up on her face and she placed a bit of her jerky on Alek's chest. The Capitoline began curiously sniffing Alek who began to stir a bit more. His eyes crept open just as the Capitoline began nibbling on the tiny piece of jerky.

Alek let out a terrified wail and began furiously rolling about in his sleeping bag. "Deryn! It's eating me!" he bellowed as he wrestled out of the bag. As soon as he was free, he darted for the nearest tree and hid behind it. Upon seeing the prince cower behind a tree, Deryn could not hold her laughter any longer.

"You big daft ninny!" she called out. She was now tearing up with laughter while the Capitoline was licking up any pieces of jerky it might have missed on the sac.

"Don't you think this mission deserves to be taken seriously?" she heard him bark from behind the tree.

"Aye exactly, and that was the fastest way to get you up," She said back. "But you're right, I'm sorry. We need to feed the creatures and get going. Go get your . . . Alek?" She asked when she didn't hear anything. His eyes were pressed on the rock beside him that Bovril was standing on. She came closer and heard what was happening. The Loris was making a low humming sound accompanied by a series of squeaks and clanks. It sounded smiliar to . . .

"Engines?" She asked.

"Propellers," Alek corrected. Both of their eyes fixed upon the Loris who seemed to be getting louder. Soon the noise of the Loris was dimmed by the sound of actual propellers cutting through the air.

"We need to get covered," Deryn said seriously and turned back to the Capitoline quickly. Alek scooped up Bovril and ran after her. They darted up the saddle and Alek fired up the saunters. Deryn looked forward and saw that the antenna was still up.

"How do you get this barking thing down?" she asked.

"There is a winch to my left. Crank on it counterclockwise," she heard him say. She scooted over to his left side and found the winch. She began furiously cranking at it and the long poll started to collapse downward.

"Why is this so barking hard?" she hissed.

"It's spring-loaded to allow the antenna to be erected easily. But I think Bauer might have made it a bit too strong," he guessed.

"You don't say!" She said angrily as she finished the job. They could hardly hear each other with the roaring sound of whatever was coming. With the saunters ready, Alek pushed forward and the beast leapt into action. He pushed them deep into the trees and down the hillside as quickly as possible. Once they reached the bottom of the hillside, Deryn noticed that the trees ended and only open farmland lay in front of them.

The roaring grew louder and they hunkered down under the cover of trees along the edge. Deryn could see something above them through the trees that blocked the sun.

"One of the Kaiser's zeppelins," Alek remarked.

"Do you think they saw us?" she asked.

"Well the antenna certainly didn't help, but I don't think so," he said. It passed over their heads and they could see it clearly now over the open fields. It was huge. Bigger than any of the German zep's Deryn had fought before on the _Leviathan._ It had an aeroplane launcher underneath its belly and a huge bomb-bay behind it.

"That one is a heavy lifter; a Machiavelli-class cruiser. It's got two hydrogen bags inside that line the port and starboard sides. These things have caught fire before and kept flying," he pointed as he spoke.

"What's it doing here? The front is miles away. Isn't it deep behind enemy lines?" Deryn asked while eyeing the machine suspiciously. It was now slowly vanishing behind another hill that stood in the fields ahead. The Capitoline grew anxious and started to paw at the ground nervously. Bovril started making more noises again, but this time it was not of propellers. Instead it was a series of low moans and grumbles.

"What's that he's doing?" Alek asked. Deryn knew but didn't answer.

"Go!" Deryn barked. She gestured to the hilltop in front of them. Alek wasted no time with arguing, rather he simply pushed the saunters forward and the beast kicked away from the forest. They galloped up the top of the hill and in front of them lay fields as far as the eye could see.

"What is going on Deryn?" he asked frantically. Deryn ignored him and had her eyes glued to the horizon. She was searching frantically for,

"There!" She pointed to the hills miles away. "That building there. It's a Mammothine stable! That zeppelin is gonna blow it to pieces!" she cried out.

Alek looked where her finger was pointing and seemed to figure it out. "You think they can evacuate in time?" he asked.

"The sun isn't even up yet Alek! It'll be a miracle if anyone in that building is even awake," she shouted.

"We can warn them with the antenna," He suggested.

"They won't have any receivers you bum-rag! We're deep in Darwinist territory."

"Then what can we do?" he asked.

"We can get there first!" she said and reached up the saunters and pushed them forward as far as they would go. The Capitoline snarled and darted forward. The cold wind hit their faces and Alek reeled backward.

"Are you crazy? They'll see us! And if we don't get there fast enough, we'll be blown to pieces too!" Alek yelled over the wind.

"Mammothines are the backbone of the French ground force. That stable probably supplies the Mammothines for the entire northern front. It must be important if they sent _that_ daft thing after it. If we let them get blown up, the Germans would eventually be able to punch a hole through the lines up north, giving them a straight shot at Paris. You want this war over faster? Then we need to help."

Deryn didn't hear another word of protest from Alek. He simply strapped his goggles on looked forward. The zeppelin was now directly overhead again only there were no trees between them. They were making good time thus far but there was no chance that the zeppelin would miss them now. Deryn could hear the engines roaring again at full speed.

They began to leave the zeppelin behind them when Deryn looked back at the zeppelin's gondola. The aeroplane launcher underneath had men at the ready. She saw one plane's engines roar to life and suddenly shoot forward from the underbelly of the mechanical monolith.

"They're launching planes!" Deryn cried up to Alek.

"Get the saddle hatch closed!" he cried back.

Deryn found the leather strap that tied the back half of the armor plating down and undid them. The beast made another large bound and the plating rose and slammed back down with a loud clank. She heaved at the handles in the center but the wind was proving too strong to close it.

"Help me!" she shouted back to Alek, who quickly reared backward and heaved at the armor. Deryn could hear engines again, this time louder and faster. "They're coming in!"

"On three together. One. Two. Three!" and they both heaved. The hatch came up over their heads and slammed down on the saddle on top of them, covering them completely. Just then, they heard the crackling sound of machine-gun fire and a few loud snaps and clangs rang out in the saddle.

The Capitoline roared out and kicked away from the loud engines even faster. They heard one engine roar overhead and zoom in front of them. Deryn peered through the viewports in the front and saw a glimpse of the plane zooming over them.

"We don't have anything to fight those things with!" Alek said. He was right. They were just target practice for those planes right now.

"We just need to make it to the stable." She said back.

"Then what?" Alek asked.

"We tell all the men to set the Mammothines free and high-tail it out of there," She said simply. Another plane roared overhead and Alek veered the saunters left. The machine gun rang out again but no bullets hit the saddle this time. "Nice move," Deryn said and clapped him on the shoulder.

The building came into full view. It was a warehouse in the form of a giant barn. The doors at the front were huge, twice as tall as the Capitoline she guessed. The sun was now creeping over the hillside and the entire building was glowing red and orange with the sun. A smaller building to the right had normal-sized doors. That must be where the people are, Deryn guessed. Suddenly the sound of engines faded and the Capitoline's bounds filled the air again.

"They've turned back?" Deryn asked. Alek didn't bother answering. He reached to his left and released the hatch lock. The armor flew backwards and they were exposed to the sky once again. The zeppelin was farther behind them but was still at full speed. They came close to the barn entrance and Deryn prepared to jump.

"Take the Capitoline and get the men inside up and moving. I'll get started on the Mammothines," she told him. He nodded and brought the saunters back a bit, slowing the tigeresque down. She didn't wait for it to stop. She jumped off and rolled as she hit the ground. Her legs shook and her knee began to sting. She hissed a bit but shook it off and ran for the doors. The doors were big enough to fit two of Alek's Stormwalker's through side by side. Luckily it wasn't locked, so she slid the wooden beam across the center and heaved at one of the doors. It slowly began to follow her and pick up speed.

She dared a look behind her at the sky. The Zeppelin would be on top of them in a few minutes. She heard Alek shouting from inside the quarters, "Fais Attention! Attention!" which was probably the short way of saying 'there's a German zeppelin on the way we are all going to die' in French.

She got the other door halfway open when she saw a man at the far end of the stable opening the doors at that end. He must have known what was going on because he looked frantic. _That's where we need to escape from, _she thought.

Just then she heard cries from the other building and the unmistakable roar of the Capitoline. Alek was on his way back. She looked up and down the walls of the stable. Gigantic Mammothines lined the walls facing inward. Deryn wished she could take a moment to gaze at them but kept her head in line. She looked at where the nearest one was tied up.

"Barking bum-rags!" she cursed loudly. The tusks of the beast were tied up with bowline knots! It would take 20 minutes or so to undo them all. "What kind of stable doesn't know how to use a slipknot-hitch!" She cursed again. She heard thumps and turned to see Alek riding back on the Capitoline. Bovril's head was poking up from his shoulder.

"The lines are tied too well, we need to cut them," She hailed up to him. He looked back to the Zeppelin. It would be right on top of them in a matter of seconds. Just then, Alek disappeared into the saddle. He resurfaced a second later with a sheathed saber in his hands.

"You brought your barking fencing saber!?" she shouted.

"Just get up here!" he shouted back. She ran up the flank of the beast as men were coming in from all directions dressed in tattered blue uniforms.

"Tell them to get on a Mammothine on the right side and ride it out of the back door," she told him. He began shouting orders in French and Deryn looked at the lines. They were too slack to be cut with a saber. If they were pulled taught, and if the saber was flying fast enough, then he could cut through them. The men around her ran into the stable and boarded the nearest Mammothines.

"Alek, you cut the lines as we go down, I'll get those lines taught. Then we'll wheel around the outside of the barn and come back for the beasts on the other side," she said. He was about to speak when the hum of propellers came in earshot. He simply nodded and clipped in.

The men were all aboard and Deryn grabbed hold of the saunters and pushed forward. The Tigeresque began running forward at the open doors. She veered to one side to get Alek close enough. She heard Alek unsheathed his saber and she reached for her belt. _This will get their attention. _She pulled out her pistol and began firing shots into the ceiling at random.

At the sound of the first shot, the Mammothines all began stomping and whining in a panicked frenzy. They all pulled away at the ropes holding them to the stable and each one became taught down the line. Alek came up to the first one and took a wild swing at it. The line cut and whipped backwards as the freed Mammothine began running out behind them with its riders on its back.

"It's working!" Alek shouted as he cut the second beast free.

"Aye it's working, keep chopping!" she cried and fired another shot. She needed to save ammunition for the second pass. The Mammothines began pouring out behind them and soon they reached the last one on the right side. They flew passed the doorway and Deryn took a hard turn left. The freed beasts were pouring out of the large buildings with the riders looking frantically behind them. Deryn soon turned the Capitoline completely around and was sprinting to the front side of the barn from the outside. She looked up and saw the bomb-bay doors of the Machiavelli zep open up.

She pulled the Capitoline left again and back through the doorway. The Mammothines seemed nervous enough with the deafening sound of zeppelin engines so she kept her pistol down. Alek leapt to the other side of the saddle and began chopping away at the lines again.

Deryn could hear the sounds of engines, Mammothine moans, and Alek's saber slicing through the air. She imagined the sound of a deafening boom and then pictured herself flying in every which direction. The bombs might have been released already for all she knew. She kept her nose down and eyes forward and looked at the door in front of them. Mammothines from the first pass were still pouring out of the back and a stampede was forming behind them. No stopping now.

The doorway was just in front of them as Alek cut the last one free. He jumped back inside the saddle and sat next to Deryn. They flew out of the back doors once more and were then surrounded by a thundering herd of dark brown fur. Deryn looked up behind her at the zeppelin, which was now directly above the stable house. Deryn closed her eyes and waited for the explosions.

But they did not come.

The roar of engines was louder now and the airship was at full speed. The bomb-bay doors were open and they would have hit the stable square in the middle at this altitude. But no bombs came down.

"They're going for the Mammothines!" Alek cried. Deryn then noticed that the Machiavelli passed the stable and was now approaching the herd of the fleeing Mammothines.

"No they don't," she heard herself say and she yanked at the saunters. The Capitoline reeled around and turned back towards the rear of the pack. Giant walls of fur were quickly passing them on either side with a loud whoosh. The tigeresque weaved through them with impeccable precision. Deryn pulled out her pistol again and began firing into the sky. The Mammothines nearest them were veering away from them but they were still all cluttered together.

"They're going to drop!" Alek cried. She looked around frantically for something to make the beasts scatter away from the zeppelin.

"I need to make the Capitoline roar!" She said loudly. The saunters at this point were too weak to get any gusto out of the beast. Out of desperation she turned her head around and shouted into the saddle.

"Bovril!"

The Loris whizzed by them and climbed onto the Tigeresque's headgear. His little head dove into the beast's ear and I high pitched squeal came from the Loris's mouth. The Capitoline came to an abrupt halt and roared loudly in discomfort. Its head arched upward and roared again, even louder this time.

All of the Mammothines turned and ran in the opposite direction of the Capitoline out of terror. As the furry giants began to disappear, Deryn looked up. The zeppelin was directly above them now. Deryn heard the unmistakable snapping sound of aerial-bombs being released from above them. She was out of options now. Without thinking she pointed her pistol up into the sky and looked for movement. She saw a small black dot hurtling towards them and pulled the trigger.

She heard her gun click. Her gun was empty and her heart sank.

She then saw Alek raise his pistol up right next to her. His eyes were wide and his aim was steady. He fired once and the crack of his pistol shook her ears. Then all hell broke loose. A monstrous crack followed by a storm cloud of flames erupted from above them. The sound deafened her ears and the shock pushed her downward. She could feel the heat of the flames above and all of her senses began to shut down.

The last thing Deryn saw before she blacked out was Alek closing the armored saddle above them.

**A/N: **Review if you liked it.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Deryn awoke with her ears still ringing. She new she was laying on something oddly comfortable, but left that to mystery for the time present. She could hear the muffled sounds of speech but could not understand a word of it. Her eyelids slowly opened and she saw a blurry version of Alek's face. She tried to move her head, but the instant she did her head began throbbing madly. She decided it best to stay still for the moment. She let out a groan to let Alek know she was conscious.

"Dylan?" She heard through the ringing.

She groaned again and said, "Where do you daft princes learn to barking shoot?"

"It was a lucky shot if there ever was one," he answered.

"I'll say. What happened? And where in blazes are we?" She noticed she was inside a tent and lying on a bed.

"On the front," someone answered in a thick French accent. "Just north of Auxonne, if you must know." The man speaking had a tight blue uniform and a medical cross on his forehead. "Now that you are feeling better, you will excuse me. I have more urgent patients here," he finished and then strutted off.

Deryn was about to ask what was biting his bum when she looked at the other beds in the tent. The other patients were in sorry shape in comparison to Deryn. Not one of them had a complete set of limbs.

"When the shock wave came down, you fell on your head. You began bleeding so I found the group of Mammothine caretakers and they said to bring you here. This was the nearest hospital apparently," Alek said while examining the side of her head.

"And where were you when all hell broke loose above us?" Deryn accused.

"Trying not to pass out. My ears are still ringing from the blast."

"Aye mine too . . ." Deryn trailed off as a stretcher with a bloodied up soldier was carted passed them.

"There has been an assault in the passed hour on this front. Apparently the German's were expecting the Mammothine force to be non-existent for the attack. They've been taking setbacks all morning," Alek said.

"Guess that Machia-something zep was part of that plan," Deryn guessed as she sat up.

"Machiavelli. And you're probably right. The Mammothine riders are all calling us the Chevaliers des Tigre. Tiger Knights. They say we're their savior."

"That's cause we barking are."

"Easy Deryn," Alek said in a hushed voice. "While I agree that our morning's escapade was helpful, lets not do that again."

"Hey, you're the one with the miracle bullets, blowing up the French countryside," Deryn scolded.

"And whose idea was the whole idiotic plan?" He countered.

"It worked didn't it? Wait, where are the beasties?" she asked.

Alek frowned. "They're getting treated. The Capitoline took a bullet in the shoulder from one of those planes. They said that it'd be ready to run again by noon. Bovril is lucky to be alive," he said with a blank tone.

Deryn's eyes got wider.

"He took some shrapnel from the explosion. More like a graze really. Had he been a few millimeters farther right, he would not have stood a chance. Right now they're bandaging him after sewing him up. They don't know what methods would work on him cause he's a new breed of fabrication, so they just used the old fashioned way," Alek shrugged.

"Barking Spiders Alek! What if he had been—"

"—He's fine Deryn. He's talking just like before already. He was using some colorful language while they were sewing him up. Luckily Bovril doesn't know any French yet," Alek said and smiled.

She knew he was just trying to comfort her. She had to admit it was working. But she knew that she put all of their lives in danger with a rash decision. That shrapnel could have killed any one of them. But they were lucky this time.

She took a minute to process everything and looked back to Alek. Her mind drifted to the last time she was in command of anybody on the _Leviathan_. Those she led were less lucky that time. She turned to Alek.

"I think you should be in charge for a while," she said. Alek looked confused by her statement. "Please," she whispered. He nodded back and got up from the bed and looked out the front opening. "So what's are next move?" she asked.

"Get far away from here," he said back coldly. Deryn got up off the bed and followed his gaze out of the tent.

"Barking heavens!" She called out loudly.

She could see mud and stone for miles. Craters lined the ground in every which-way, some were close enough to see the burned shards of whatever the target was lining the edges. The mountainside in the distance had two giant _things_ crawling down them, both with large guns on the side and followed by a host of walkers on either side.

"Dreadnaught walkers. Kind of like the one that came after us in the Alps before, but these are bigger and carry larger cannons," He said flatly.

"I know my enemy when I see them, Alek. Will the French hold out here?" She asked.

"We're not sticking around to find out. Come on." He took her by the elbow and led her to the opposite side of the tent. He led her through the hustle of many frenzied men with blue uniforms running in every direction. A grass field lay behind it all. Ranks of armored Elephantines were anchored to the ground with rope tied to wooden stakes. Behind them, Deryn could see the pearly white coat of fur she was looking for.

The beast still had a red stain of blood on its shoulder but looked hardly phased by the injury. _The Dreadnaughts must have it nervous_, Deryn thought. A man with a bundle of white cloth in his arms came toward them as they approached the Captioline.

"Votre . . . qu'est-ce que c'est?" he bumbled and offered it to her.

"That's Bovril," Alek said to her. She immediately took it in her hands and uncovered a sleeping Loris underneath. They must have given him a sedative. He'd hate to miss this right now.

"Come, we need to leave!" Alek called. He was already on the Capitoline saddle. She looked down and whispered to the creature sleeping in her arms. "You did so well," she muttered before handing him up to Alek and then scampering up the saddle.

"I'd say these beasts have earned two breakfasts tomorrow, seeing how we skipped on that and went straight to the explosions this morning," Alek said while firing up the saunters.

"Agreed," She said, still holding Bovril. "Where too?"

"The Swiss boarder. We've made better time than we could have hoped for with all that sprinting this morning. So I say we keep going and see how far we can get before the sun goes down," he said proudly.

"You're the bosun." She said and clipped in. Deryn made herself a secret promise to herself just then; that she'd look after her friends and family a little closer after all of this. She had lost her father, maybe her brother, and then still put her prince and Loris's lives in danger today. _You'd think I'd have learned by know._

**A/N: **Upon review, its short and angsty this one. But more goods coming Monday. Review if you think I should do things differently. Cheers.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The rest of the day was non-stop travel. They did nothing but ride for 15 hours straight and by the next morning they still had another day's journey ahead of them. Their backs ached, their knees were sore, and the Capitoline had gone through more than half of its meat rations already.

Alek knew that the worst was yet to come, but he couldn't help but feel grateful that they hadn't run into any more Germans yet. They had seen a dreadnaught from a distance and a few smaller zeppelins, but none had bothered them. More than once, they crossed the obvious tracks of a Stormwalker battalion, but by the looks of things they had moved on long before.

As the Capitoline tore through the countryside, the terrain became more and more mountainous. Each hill they climbed gradually got steeper and the trees they passed gradually grew taller. The air was colder too. Alek had pulled on his thick jacket and scarf, but the wind was still bitter on the end of his nose. His hands seemed to be clenched in a vice grip around the saunters, and he noticed the breath coming out of the Capitoline's snout was visible now.

"We've got to be getting close now," Alek said.

"We should take a breather before we get there," Deryn said from behind him.

"Just a few more minutes. See those trees? We'll take a break in there to keep cover. How's Bovril doing?"

Alek looked back searching for the Loris. It had stayed asleep for most of the first day and then acted disoriented when it woke up. Alek guessed it was from the drugs the Darwinists administered. Deryn looked back at him with a shrug. He kept searching before he heard a familiar voice speak from in front of him.

"Right here prince!" the Loris squeaked and then chuckled. He was sitting eagerly atop of the collapsed antenna. "Radio communication. Dr. Barlow's schedule." Bovril chuckled again and then sat quietly looking at Alek.

"Right. We need to contact the Barlow's as soon as we see the boarder," he said back to Deryn. "Thank you Bovril." Alek noticed Bovril began to shiver a bit. The Loris had a bandage wrapped around its torso to cover the stitches. Alek guessed that a wound in this cold would make any creature shiver. He unzipped his jacket a bit and offered up the space for Bovril. The Loris jumped forward and snuggled inside Alek's jacket peering out from the opening.

"There!" Deryn pointed. Alek pulled back on the saunters and the beast slowed to an eventual halt. Alek followed her extended finger down the trees and eventually found it. A long dark line stretched out before them along a riverbed. It stretched out infinitely in either direction. Miles of barbed wire and barricades marked the end of France and the beginning of Switzerland.

"They seem to have increased the boarder security since we were here last," Deryn pointed out. "My guess is that the whole _Leviathan_ fiasco was behind that."

"Perhaps. Lets get the antenna up," Alek said. Deryn reached behind her to connect the circuit and Alek reached forward and released the collapsed antenna. Once again it shot up into the sky with a metallic hiss. Alek pulled on the headphones and leaned down towards the mouthpiece.

"Hail three, hail three, Capitoline status report," Alek announced and waited. The interference was much louder this time. Alek looked up and noticed the cloud cover had thickened since the morning. He gazed down past the boarder and saw glimpses of mountaintops far in the distance. The clouds covered them almost completely, but Alek was able to see snow that glazed the mountainside.

". . . Ah, . . . Yes . . . very good, uh . . . Hail three, Hail three, Capitoline. How are you chaps doing?" It was Richard Darwin on the other side. The man probably knew very little about coded messages so Alek decided to be discrete.

"We're alright so far. We have the checkpoint in sight," Alek said.

"Right. Uh, I'll fetch the lady then. . . Nora?" Alek heard him shout. There was a moment of silence and Bovril shifted inside of Alek's jacket, mimicking the sounds he was hearing from Alek's head.

"Capitoline three, Capitoline three, this is the Doctor," Alek heard Dr. Barlow say. "Status?"

"Capitoline status green. We've reached the checkpoint," Alek repeated.

"Very good. You are clear to proceed."

"Affirmative doctor," Alek said and was about to switch the communication unit off when he heard her voice once again.

"And do try to stay focused on the task at hand, please. Do not think the news of your recent actions has not reached our ears."

Alek looked guiltily over to Deryn who simply stared back looking very confused. "Uh, yes mam. Capitoline out," he finished and pulled of the phones.

"What was all that about?" Deryn asked him.

"She apparently heard about the Machiavelli Zep incident. I had left that out in yesterday's report since we were continuing on schedule," Alek said.

"Well, there's nothing she can do now. Lets just find the boarder patrol and get across before sundown." Deryn said while reaching back again and shutting the circuit for the antenna off again.

Alek nodded and began turning the winch to collapse it. Alek guessed that they were just east of the main Elephantine trail, which would mark their entrance into Swiss territory. He turned the saunters on once again and pushed forward. The Capitoline growled a bit and began trotting forward towards the boarder.

* * *

"What do you barking mean the boarders are closed?!" Deryn shouted from behind him. The conversation had all been in German but Deryn still was cursing at the man in English. Alek hopped he couldn't understand what she was shouting.

"No parties may cross with out expressed permission by Swiss authorities," The man said again slightly louder this time.

"But we've got immigration papers! We're not military personnel, we are civilians. We're on a scientific expedition!" Deryn shouted back in German this time.

The boarder-patrol man eyed the Capitoline suspiciously. Alek noticed the men behind him were whispering something in French. Deryn was still waving the papers Dr. Barlow had given her madly. He caught a word of their conversation and decided in an instant to stop the shouting.

"Let us speak to your bum-rag officer—"

"Thank you kindly sirs!" Alek interrupted. "We will return with the proper documents another time," Alek said in perfect Swiss-German.

The boarder-patrol men seemed to respect his words a little more. They gave a polite nod and watched Alek pull the beast back.

"Alek? What the devil are you doing?" Deryn whispered harshly. "We don't have time to apply for written consent."

"I know. But you were drawing attention to us and if we are going to sneak across, we're going to need to seem inconspicuous," Alek said back.

Deryn looked at him with a wide gaze and a smile slowly crept up the sides of her face. Alek loved that smile.

"I see you daft prince. What is your plan?" she asked.

What was his plan? Those gates were too closely guarded to sneak through un-noticed with a giant lupine-tigeresque. Switzerland was Clanker, so the fences and barbed wire would probably trigger an electrical signal if they tried to cut through them. They had no time for digging either. That left one option.

Snow was begging to fall and the sun had already faded behind the mountains far away. It was getting darker by the minute. _With just enough snow-cover we'd blend right in,_ Alek thought.

"What emergency equipment do we have?" Alek asked Deryn.

"We've got first-aid, a few medicines, a box of matches, my old rigging knife, a flare, the Tesla burst, and your fencing saber," Deryn counted out on her fingers.

"Hmmmm," Alek pondered. "I've got a plan. You're going to like it," Alek said.

"Is that why you look worried?" Deryn asked.

"Yes," he answered flatly.

* * *

Alek was in position. He did _not_ like this plan at all. It was the sort of thing that Deryn would usually dream up. But considering the options he had available, this was the only one that they could go with. The sun down and the darkness covered the trees around him. The boarder ahead was alive with search lights covering the landscape.

Alek found a patch of rock surrounded by an inch of fresh snow. He placed the flare against the rocks and propped it up. He got out the box of matches and began laying them in a straight line from the base of the flare. He decided to double the width of the line with more matches. The makeshift fuse would by him a little more than 30 seconds, Alek guessed.

He whistled loudly and waited a moment for Deryn to whistle back. A moment of silence faded before he heard the faint tune returned to him. He looked down at his contraption and then back at the boarder that was 200 meters away. He waited for the searchlight to pass over him and then struck the match in his hand. It lit up instantly and he gently laid it down over the match farthest from the flare.

The match-trail began lighting like a domino light show. Alek backed away to make sure it was still working, then turned and ran. He crossed the main road that led to the boarder gate. Just then he saw the world light up from around him as the searchlight drew closer. He dove behind the trunk of the nearest tree and laid completely motionless as it crossed.

His hands were bitter and his knees began to soak in fresh snow. The light passed quickly and Alek leapt back on his feet. He was still running when he heard the flare go off with a whine. It popped and fizzed like a firework from behind him. Alek took a quick glance back and could see a bright red glow between the trees.

He heard the whistle again and followed it a few more leaps before finding the Capitoline in front of him, growling deeply.

"Easy girl, its Alek," he heard from the saddle. The beast stepped towards him and sniffed him once, before going silent and observant, drawn to the commotion behind him.

"That will get their attention," he said while climbing up the saddle.

"Aye, now comes the fun part," Deryn said.

Alek scooted forward and clipped himself down behind the saunters.

"Is everything strapped down," Alek asked.

"Aye captain. Even the Loris is all snug in the furs," she said. She clipped herself in the same spot Alek was and held on to his shoulder.

"We can't make any contact with the fence, or they will be on us as soon as we start running." Was Alek speaking to the Capitoline now? Or was he reassuring himself? Deryn didn't miss a beat.

"Or we get tangled up in 5 meters of barbed wire and electrical fence."

Alek sighed. "Thanks for the image," he said and flipped on the saunters. The Capitoline popped its head up and became ready to pounce. Alek took a deep, nervous breath in and shakily let it out. What would Volger make of this idiotic plan?

Then he felt Deryn's lips gently press against his right cheek and suddenly he forgot all about his present idiocy. He gripped the saunters tightly and mashed them forward. The Capitoline growled and began racing forwards.

The trees were nothing but dark blurs in front of him and he had no hope for dodging them. He kept the saunters forward and let the Capitoline decide its own route. He glanced to his right and noticed all searchlights were focused on the chaotic flare that was spiraling about in the woods on the other side of the road.

The trees cleared and all that was left was a mound of dirt and snow before the thick barbed fence. Alek pushed the saunters forward with one hand and grabbed his clip strap firmly with the other. Deryn did the same and they both looked forward. One more giant bound from the Capitoline and it dug its feet into the ground.

The Capitoline pounced into the air and sailed towards the mountains in the distance. The ground was completely gone for Alek. He could see nothing but saddle and sky. The wind blew madly in his face and suddenly his feet began to come up from under him. Deryn's feet left the saddle beside him and they both held tightly to their harnesses, bracing for impact.

The tigeresque's paws came down with a mighty thud and Alek's knees came down on the saddle once more. The impact shook them both violently and Alek swallowed a groan of pain for his knees. Deryn gave a whispered 'oomph' and the Capitoline darted forward again, keeping all of its momentum moving forward.

Alek looked at Deryn, then back at the boarder behind them. The searchlights were still on the forest where the flare had been. He gave a sigh of relief and smiled at her.

"I'd say that was at least 20 meters across," He said after he knew they were out of earshot.

"I'd say you're a barking genius!" Deryn said back and gave him a shove. "Naughty prince, you. What would Dr. Barlow think of such an excursion?"

"You're right, I did say we'd be less reckless with the creature," Alek said back.

"Alright then," Deryn said with a smile. "Starting now we will not do anything reckless or dangerous with ourselves or the beasties," she said with a mocking tone. "Now lets get up those mountains."

* * *

**A/N: **I was going to make this two chapters, but I love you guys. Onto Switzerland!


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Nothing worked like fabricated furs. They were made from fabricated canines that were usually used to manufacture furs for the market. But since the war started, they were put to work for the military. The furs were shed like snakeskin so no beasties need to get slaughtered in the process. They were warm of course, but at the same time they did not restrict movement.

Not that they were going anywhere. They had set up camp on a small stretch of flat land on the mountainside. Deryn leaned her back up against the Capitoline's side and felt its innards rise up and down gently as the beast slept. The trees that surrounded them were eerily quiet. The snow had only gathered to around an inch so far, but the night air was still bitterly cold at this altitude. The moon and stars gave off a certain glow that was clashed with the fire Deryn had started a few minutes earlier.

It was the first fire they had set on the trip. Along France, there was the threat of German soldiers spotting them from the front. But in Switzerland, among the mountains and trees, the warmth of the fire was certainly worth the risk of being spotted by Swiss-folk. It cracked a bit in front of Deryn, sending a wayward ember flying upward.

She could hear Alek making his status report to the Barlows. His muffled voice reverberated ever so slightly in the woods around them. Deryn found herself mesmerized by the sight of the fire in front of her. Her mind began to drift away from the mission. She was so aimlessly lost in her memories and thoughts that when Alek sat beside her she jumped.

"Easy Deryn. I'm not a German," he said with his hands raised as if surrendering. She followed his gaze down to her hand that was griped around her rigging knife in her belt. "Good to know that your reflexes are still sharp," he said while lowering his hands.

"Sorry," She muttered back and looked back at the fire. "What did Dr. Barlow say?"

"She said the Admiralty has sent ships to the south of France. Officially it is a rescue force for the Minotaur. But she suspects that what began as a rescue mission has turned into an all out invasion force. If they are planning an offensive, it will need to be simultaneous with a French offensive as well," he finished. He was leaning up against the Captioline as well, looking exhausted.

"It will take time before the French are ready for an offensive like that," Deryn said softly.

"True. They'll need every beast at the ready. But saving those Mammothines certainly will speed things up," Alek said. Deryn didn't say anything back. She was still mesmerized by the flame in front of her. The Capitoline gave a snort and they both bounced forward a bit. Alek raised an arm and began stroking the beast's side affectionately.

"Alright Deryn, what is wrong?" he said after a moment.

She snapped back to reality and looked at him. "What? Nothing, why? Does something look wrong?"

"Deryn," he began. "You've been a _passenger_ for the past few days now. You aren't taking the saunters anymore, you haven't spoken to Bovril since the first day in France, and you haven't even used the communication relay yet. Deryn, if you were any other girl in the world, this would be normal behavior. But Deryn Sharp is not a passenger. She is a soldier of action, and the best midshipman that ever climbed aboard an airship. Most importantly, she hates doing nothing. So either something is wrong, or you are some imposter," Alek finished.

She blinked at him, wondering exactly what to say. Deryn did promise him that she would not hide anything from him ever again. But now he could read her so well it was like she didn't have a choice.

"I don't want to be in charge of anything for a while," she said after a moment. "Every time I'm in charge, people get hurt."

"That is not true," Alek interjected.

"The first time I was put in command, every single soldier in the unit was either killed or captured," she said a bit louder. She spoke very clearly to make sure he understood. "Then I went and almost got us killed the other day. It was only luck that spared Bovril's life." She looked up. Bovril's face was looking down at her from the saddle; eyes wide open as he listened to every word she said.

"I lost my father, I might have lost my brother, and almost lost you on multiple occasions. I should have learned by now how to keep people safe," she finished and brought her knees up to her chest, folding her arms over the top of them.

Alek said nothing for a moment, probably to make sure she was finished. When she stayed silent for another moment, he spoke.

"So you _are_ and imposter," he accused.

"Alek!" she spat at him.

"I'm serious. Deryn, you are a girl of action and a terrific leader. The other midshipmen looked up to you more than they looked up to Captain Hobbes. When you crashed your glider in Mexico, the entire bridge had their noses up against the windows trying to see if you were hurt. You safely got all those Russian soldiers aboard the _Leviathan_ away from those bears, and you did so without speaking a word of Russian . . ." Deryn heard his voice rise a bit.

". . . And do you really think I had a chance of leading that revolution in Istanbul without your help?" he asked. This made her laugh a bit.

"Not a chance," she chuckled.

"I know it sounds like we're dodging death. But the truth is, the farther away I am from you, the more danger I would be in," he said. He settled back down into the Capitoline.

"That doesn't make sense. You'd be much safer at home with the boffins," she retorted.

"My father used to tell me that there are many dangers in life, and among them is safety," he said slowly. "You've been saving my life since we met. So do not change now. I'm not sure I will survive if you do," he said and smiled. She was about to say something back at him when she felt Bovril land on her lap, startling her. The Loris gazed at her for a moment and did not blink.

"We save each other. That's how it works," Bovril said. Deryn smiled at the beastie and stroked its head affectionately. She looked back to Alek and gave him a short kiss. She knew what he was saying was a load of clart but he was right about one thing: they had survived this long through all sorts of perils. No sense in changing her strategy now. Besides, she owes that daft prince her life a few times over as well. She looked back to the fire once more.

"I'm still worried about this mission Alek. It's been 10 days since the Minotaur went down. It would be a miracle if they found the castle, and if they haven't, they will not survive the Alps for long," she said. After a few seconds of silence, Alek sprang up from his spot next to her.

"Then lets go. The sooner we leave the sooner we get there. If we leave now we can get most of the Alps behind us by sunrise," Alek said energetically. "We can rest once we get there. Come on, I'll take the night shift and you take over once the sun comes up. That way I can man the saunters while you rest, and then vice versa."

"Look at you all motivated. You're acting like I did the first time I saw an airship," Deryn said.

"This isn't the first time I snuck into Switzerland. You coming or not?" Alek challenged.

Deryn soaked in the warmth of the fire for one more moment and then stood up.

"I'll feed the Capitoline. She's going to need her energy for this."

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry its late in the day everybody. But here is the chapter as promised. I have not forgotten you. In fact, exciting things are happening. I don't want to spoil the surprise so I'll just say I'm working with a professional. That's all you get. Till Monday, Cheers!


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Perhaps their spirits would not have been so high if they had known about the mountains ahead. They were beautiful to fly over, Deryn remembered, but trying to climb them was proving more difficult than she imagined. The Capitoline would take giant leaps from one stone ledge to the other, sometimes landing on it's belly halfway up and scrambling for grip. It was using its vice-grip claw almost constantly to keep them all from falling back down the mountainside.

It did not help that the snow was getting thicker. It began to fall a little harder a soon as they set off and was increasing throughout the night. Deryn stayed awake at first but soon found herself begging for rest. Once Alek got the hang of climbing the bigger mountains, Deryn climbed into the closed part of the saddle and used an extra clip to hold her inside. The whole saddle would lurch upwards, shake widely for a few moments, and then lurch back downward in a steep dive as the beast went up and down the stony peaks.

She almost gave up on trying to sleep when she remembered the electric furnace in the rear. She flicked a small switch and in a few minutes a small grid of woven metal began to glow red above her. It was like a toaster mounted in the ceiling. Deryn made sure none of the supplies would fall next to it and catch fire. Once she settled underneath it, she felt warmth similar to the fire they had left behind hours before and eventually drifted off into sleep.

When she awoke, the sun was up but nowhere in sight. The clouds had thickened and the snow fell in thicker flakes, impairing vision. Alek had his goggles on but Deryn could tell he was defeated. When he saw she was awake, Alek brought the Capitoline to a brief halt and switched with her. Deryn explained her trick with the furnace and took the saunters.

"Blisters," She'd curse every few minutes. The Capitoline was getting sloppy with fatigue, Deryn could tell. Every so often, the beast would loose its footing and scramble to find a new position. Its breaths were heavy and slow. The beast looked ready to collapse during lunch when Deryn had stopped them. She gave it one of the last rations of meat they had packaged and munched on some dry bread for herself. She let Alek rest a bit longer. No doubt the voyage would wake him up sooner or later.

Finally, after 3 hours of avoiding cliffs and dancing around peaks, a small stretch of flatland lay ahead of them. Or at least it looked like flatland. Deryn guessed a glacier was underneath the thick blanket of snow, so they would need to tread carefully. Still, it was easier on the Capitoline. Deryn noticed its eyes were starting to close a bit. They had lost the cunning and sharpness behind them. She was about to call it quits for the day when Alek awoke behind her.

"Sleeping princes," Bovril called out to him. This caught his attention and he rolled carefully from the inside of the saddle to the front.

"What time is it?" he asked while rubbing his eyes.

"I have no barking clue," she hissed a bit too harshly. "The clock stopped spinning about 4 hours ago and the sun just wont show its face."

"Well, where are we?" he said. Deryn tapped the compass to make sure it was still working.

"I've been following the bearing you gave me since you drifted off," she replied.

"That can't be right, we should have seen it by now," Alek said.

"Just look at the mountains behind us and check the map. You'll be able to see how far we are from your mountain if we can match them up," Deryn explained.

"My mountain?" Alek asked.

"The one with your castle on it?" Deryn clarified.

"I actually don't know which one it is on _specifically,"_ Alek said.

"What?" The Capitoline huffed a bit and bounded for a second in the air and then came back down.

"I don't know its exact location. Master Klopp piloted the walker most of the way through Switzerland. It was meant to be a secret hideout anyway, so they never pointed it out on a map to me." Alek explained.

"Then what in blazes was your plan?" Deryn almost screamed at him. "Just dawdle around in its general area until we stumble upon it?" The Capitoline took another bound forward.

"Deryn, I wouldn't—"

The panicked roar of the Capitoline cut off Alek mid-sentence. Its back vice-claw snagged on a wayward stone and halted the beast in mid-stride. The world disappeared beneath Deryn. She felt the bitter wind against her face and gravity stopped working all together. In one split second, she realized she hadn't been clipped in since lunch. She was now flying through the air.

"Woah," She moaned, and reeled backward towards her landing. A large mound of snow exploded around her, completely knocking the wind out of her. Her back took the first blow, which was immediately followed by a second blow to her shoulder. She rolled and bounced a few more times before coming to a halt with her face planted firmly in the soft snow.

"Deryn!" She heard Alek yell through the hood of her furs. She lifted her dazed head up a bit from the ground with a nose full of snow. She moaned and rolled over on her back to try and regain her breathing ability. Alek called out to her again, this time from the ground next to her. He had jumped off the Capitoline and trudged through the snow towards her.

"I'm alright Alek," she managed to breath out. She took a minute to gather her senses back. Luckily only her shoulder was a bit sore and her bum was resting on something rather uncomfortable.

"Don't sit up. Stay down, I'll get the med-kit," Alek assured her and turned around towards the now agitated Capitoline.

"Wait Alek . . ." She began to call out when the soreness in her bum peaked a bit. She reached down to move whatever it was she landed on when she gripped something smooth. Her hand gripped around it perfectly, and Deryn tugged at it hard. It came loose through the snow and Deryn sat up to look at it.

"Barking . . ." was all she could manage to say. In her mitten was a solid bar of gold, shimmering beautifully in what sun came through the clouds. It had chunks of ice around it, but was otherwise smooth as silk and perfectly weighted. 3 kilograms, Deryn guessed, of solid gold. She inspected it closer and suddenly felt her breath leave her again.

"Alek!" she called up. He was already on his way back with a leather pack full of medicines and jarred healing jellies. She took another look at it to make sure she was seeing correctly. Staring back at her was a feint carving of Alek's family seal. It was on all of his stuff, including the walker that almost killed her in these mountains a year before.

"Look!" she called and showed it too him. Alek inspected it and his eyes went wide.

"My father's gold!" he said loudly. Deryn simply looked at him, waiting for an explanation. "Volger packed dozens of these in the walker when we left Austria. They were my father's personal savings that I inherited. He tried to smuggle them onboard the _Leviathan, _but when we were escaping, the ship couldn't make enough altitude to escape."

"That's why we couldn't get airborne!" she said. "This gold almost killed us!"

"At the last minute, Volger and I threw all overboard except one. We used that one bar to fund the revolution in Istanbul," he nodded back at her. "I thought these would be buried in 10 feet of snow by now."

She took this in for a moment, and gazed at the bar in her hand. "Hang on. If you dumped it during our escape, we mustn't have been more than a kilometer away from our crash site," she reasoned.

"Which means . . ." Alek began, and then looked around frantically at the mountains around them. Deryn searched too, looking all around her for anything that looked familiar. She propped herself up and looked behind her. At that very moment, the first real ray of sunshine peered through the clouds. The mountain behind her was steep and looked over the flatland in front of her.

Up on the Cliffside overlooking the valley was a black mass. It was too dark to be natural stone from the mountain. Below it was the skeleton of a downed-zeppelin, half-buried in snow.

"We're here," She muttered, and picked herself up.

* * *

**A/N: **This chapter is a reminder to drive with your seatbelt on. Things are getting interesting. Review and tell me what you're thinking.

Until Friday!

Cheers.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Alek peered through the scope for another second, waiting for any signs of movement. After he was satisfied that there was no one in sight, he passed the scope over to Deryn. They had climbed an extra bit higher to get a good view of any people watching for intruders. The castle below them seemed even quieter and lifeless then when Alek first arrived more than a year ago. Back then, no one knew about the place except for Volger and Alek's Father. Unfortunately that was no longer the case.

"Do you think there could be Germans in there?" Deryn asked, still peering through the scope. "If there were any survivors of the zeppelin explosion, they would have come up here for shelter."

"No, they would have been picked up by the _Hercules._ Remember that eight-legged walker?" he said back.

"Aye. But there is no way they could have missed your castle. The Germans could use this place as a secret Swiss outpost to house spies trying to cross into France. At least that's what I would do," She muttered and gave the scope back to Alek.

"I don't think they would find much use for the place. It's far too isolated from any other city or village to make any real strategic advantage. It's possible that they simply deserted it because of its broken appearance," Alek suggested and turned back to the castle. "No way to say for sure though."

The Capitoline gave a heavy huff and sank a little deeper in the snow. It was completely exhausted and needed rest. The snow had faded, but the sun was completely gone behind mountains. In a few more minutes, the castle would disappear into the darkness right in front of them.

"Well then lets investigate," Deryn said confidently, "but carefully."

Alek nudged the saunters forward a bit and the Capitoline began dragging its paws through the snow. Alek kept his eyes glued to the door as they approached. He pulled the Capitoline under the same wooden shelter that they had parked the Stormwalker before. The beast came down hard on the ground once it was out of the wind. It gave a few heavy breaths before curling up against the wall next to it. Deryn fired up the furnace to give the beast some warmth outside, and then they both stepped off.

"Still no sign of anybody," Deryn noted. Alek still had his eyes pressed on the front door. He was removing his furs and placing them on the ground beside the saddle, but he stayed focused all the while. He strapped on his gun belt and placed his fencing scabbard through it. The door didn't look damaged, Alek thought. As he walked towards it, he noticed that the wood near the lock was splintered a bit and the metal around it was twisted out of shape.

"There is your sign," Alek said.

"Your sign," Bovril chirped from Deryn's shoulder.

"Hush Bovril," Deryn whispered. "We need to stay quiet for a while."

"Quiet for a while," he said back, and hung low to Deryn's cheek staying absolutely still. Deryn took out her pistol, and stepped towards the door.

"Me first," She whispered over the wind.

Alek grabbed the right hand door and pulled it open, just enough to get Deryn through with out squeaking the hinges. She stepped through and Alek followed closely behind.

She pointed her pistol around everywhere she looked, and stepped deeper into the main corridor. Alek pulled out his electric torch and turned it on. Light poured into the hallway in front of him. A mouse scuttled near one corner of the corridor, but otherwise the building was still.

Nothing looked different. The windows, the curtains, the old carpet lining the floor, it all seemed like revisiting an old dream now. The windows were dimly lit with whatever moonlight there was.

Alek pulled out his pistol and held it low. His eyes combed the walls and the floors for any movement at all. Deryn pulled out her electric torch as well and scaled the walls and floor with it. Alek heard the wind behind him and he shut the door with a soft click. The click filled the corridor and echoed off the walls. Deryn glared back at him and he nodded back.

"The main hall," he whispered. They both began silently walking down the main corridor to the main hall. Deryn got to the door first and slowly creaked it open. She put her torch in first and peered around inside. She then swung the door fully open and a loud cracking sound of wood and hinges filled the hall.

"Nothing," She said softly. Alek looked at the dinning hall with his torch. The table, the chairs, and the silverware were all there just as they had left it. The candles were barely even used and dust had settled over everything.

"Nothing," Bovril said to Alek. He shushed them both and listened. In his heart he wanted to be sure. He wanted to hear footsteps come from behind them, but he still he heard nothing. If there really was nothing and no one here, the mission might have been a complete waste after all. Alek had kept Deryn's hopes up the entire way there and now he had nothing to show for it. _Keep searching, _he told himself.

"Lets split up," He whispered to Deryn. "You go check the bed-chambers, I'll check the kitchen." She nodded and turned back towards the corridor behind her. Alek turned and took the opposite corridor. There were tall windows leading up to the kitchen. A sliver of light was coming through the windows so Alek decided to turn his torch off to avoid being spotted. He noticed the door to the kitchen was cracked open. As his feet shuffled forward, he reached to grab the door with the same hand that was clutching the pistol.

He didn't hear anything. He didn't see anything. But he certainly felt something.

A large boot flew out of the darkness next to him and kicked at his hand. His pistol flew out of his grip and clanked on the stone floor. A glove then emerged from the same spot, clenched in a fist. Alek turned towards the spot and had just enough time to raise his hands up to protect his face. The fist flew past his face and Alek pushed it away, backing up into the hallway. He began to raise his electric torch when the glove met it halfway up and grabbed his hand. In the light of the torch, Alek could see the size of the figure grabbing his hand. He saw it raise the other hand in a fist and Alek instinctively dropped the torch.

It fell to the ground with a click and Alek tore his hand away. He backed away from the figure that then began swinging at him. Alek was retreating with each swing, using perfect fencing footwork. Alek backpedaled until he could see the entire figure in the moonlight. The figure took another large swing and Alek stepped left, just missing it. Alek stepped forward and jammed his knee up into his opponent's torso, cutting its lunge short. Alek then struck at the figure's chin and then pushed with both hands at its shoulders. The figure grunted and reeled backward.

Alek could now tell that this was a man he was fighting, roughly 6 centimeters taller than him. Alek quickly unsheathed his saber and faced his opponent. "Who are you?" he breathed out heavily. The man did not answer. He simply raised his hands up to his neck began fidgeting around a bit. The light of the torch was now on the wall behind the figure so all Alek could see was his silhouette. The man stepped forward with a thin red cloth in his hands. Alek looked at it for a moment and then planted his feet. _Is that a necktie?_

Alek did not waste time and made a short strike in the man's direction, trying to fend him off. The man stepped forward used the tie to fend off Alek's attacks. Alek struck forward a few times more and the man simply dodged or used the tie to slow the saber's movement. If Alek could strike harder, he would cut right through it and land a hit on his opponent. The man kept retreating backward till his back was pressed against the large curtain hanging from the wall. Alek lunged forward with perfect form and speed.

He felt his saber dig into something tough. He heard a tearing sound and the curtain behind the figure shifted around a bit. The man then spun around and quickly wrapped the necktie around the hilt of the sword. Alek felt his saber yank away from him while simultaneously an elbow jabbed into his lower torso. Alek fell back and his saber cut through the tie and flew through the air, landing meters away.

His stomach ached wildly and he wanted to gasp for breath, but Alek regained his composure and took another stance in front of his enemy. The man had his hands raised like a boxer, weaving his head back and forth a bit. Alek blocked a swing from the right, and then again from the left. His movements were easy to read, but he was too strong for Alek. Soon he would wear him out in this position.

Alek dodged left and right again, but then the boot came down hard on his foot, cutting off his retreat. The man jabbed upwards with his elbow in one swift movement, catching Alek in the cheek and knocking him to the ground. Alek's head ached and his right cheek seared with pain. Alek looked up, dazed and confused, and his eyes came to focus on the tip of his own saber, pointed directly at his face.

"Olé," The man said in a bright, satisfied voice. Alek looked up at his opponent without moving a single muscle. He imagined the horrible pain of the blade coming down on his throat. He stayed frozen on the floor, waiting for whatever was going to happen next.

Just then, Alek heard the click of a pistol's hammer being pulled back. Alek looked at the man's right temple and saw Deryn's pistol pressed firmly against it. It glimmered in the moonlight ever so slightly.

"Stop," she said in a low voice. The man in front of him froze as well, not turning to look at her. Deryn wore a very serious expression on her face. Alek was wondering whether she was pretending to be a boy again or simply being tough to intimidate the man. Either way, it seemed to be working.

"Alright! Enough!" Came another voice from the kitchen. Light suddenly poured into the hallway from the kitchen door. The man standing in the doorway had a long carbine rifle in his hands, pointed directly at Deryn. "Just what the devil is going on here?" he called out.

That voice was too familiar.

Deryn seemed to notice as well. She reeled around and lowered her pistol.

"Newkirk?!" She called out. The man in the doorway lowered his aim a bit and stepped back.

"Dylan? And . . . bloody heavens, is that Alek?" he asked, peering over to where Alek was laying.

"Good to see you Mr. Newkirk," was all Alek could croak with the sword still pointed at his neck.

"What in blazes are you doing thrashing them about, Jas?" Newkirk said finally lowering the Carbine.

"What?" Deryn asked and her gaze shot back to Alek's current captor. His face lit up now. His bright brown hair glimmered in the light from the kitchen. He had pale skin, a round nose, and a bruise began forming on the end of his chin. Deryn dropped her pistol on the ground with a thud.

"Jaspert . . ." she said softly.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Deryn had pulled her brother into a hug and was cursing at him left and right. The sword was now on the floor and not pointing at his throat anymore, but Alek still lay motionless on the floor. _God's wounds_, he thought. The first time he meets any of Deryn's family and they almost kill each other. Alek looked over to the window curtain that was torn by his saber. How easily that could have been Deryn's brother.

"Where in the world did you come from?" he heard Jaspert say, clearly astonished. "How did you find us out here in the middle of nowhere? And what it blazes is that thing?" Jaspert asked gesturing to Bovril on her shoulder. The Loris remained completely silent, observing the stranger closely.

Deryn was beginning to tear up a bit as she started to tell her brother what happened. Her unmanly side was showing so Alek decided to distract Newkirk.

"Mr. Newkirk," he called out. "Might I ask you to accompany me in the kitchen? I think we should let them catch up." Alek brushed himself off and picked up his saber off the ground before placing it back into the scabbard.

"Aye, your highness. I'd like to know just how you got here," Newkirk said and turned into the kitchen. Alek followed him in the brightly lit kitchen. Alek remembered that Bauer had rigged up the running lights from the walker and installed them in different places in the castle. He never got to finish of course, what with the mess the _Leviathan _brought about.

The kitchen was packed with dirty dishes, opened cans, and silverware scattered everywhere.

"Is it just you two here?" Alek asked.

"No no! We've got the whole surviving crew here. Middies, most of us. I told the others to sit tight in the guest hall while I see what was taking Jaspert so long to get tonight's Scrap from the kitchen," Newkirk said. He propped up the Carbine up against the kitchen counter and walked towards the opposite wall. He opened a door on the other side of the room and shouted, "Its alright lads! Put down your guns!"

"I see you found the armory," Alek said, noticing the Haspburg Crest on the butt of the rifle.

"Yea, and the extra stash of food you guys left behind too. You Clankers saved our lives _again_, only this time you didn't even know it," Newkirks said taking a seat at the small table in the center of the kitchen. Alek took a seat across from him.

"Der—ah, Dylan and I came here on the back of a Lupine-Tigeresque that Dr. Barlow fabricated as an experiment. She calls it the Capitoline," he began. "We left 6 days ago and were dropped in France by an airship. Then we traveled the countryside and snuck through the boarder and now, here we are," Alek finished gesturing to the kitchen around them with his hands.

As if on cue, Deryn and her brother walked in through the door.

"Aleksander von . . . Hornburger?" Jaspert asked with an eyebrow raised at Deryn. She rolled her eyes and took a seat next to Newkirk.

"Just Alek," he said fighting the urge to correct him. He offered a hand to Jaspert, who took it heartily and shook it with a firm grip. "Nice to meet you," Alek began, and then realized that the thick bruise on Jasperts chin was his doing.

"Ah, I see. So is beating each other senseless how you Clankers say hello? I like your style," he said sitting down next to him and clapping him on the shoulder.

"You started it you bum-rag," Deryn retorted for Alek.

"Yes and I finished it too," He said pointing back to her. "But I must say, barking good fighter you are for a royal."

"Let me get you some ice for you two," Newkirk said standing up and turning to the ice cabinet. Alek reached up and touched his cheek where Jaspert had caught him. It stung to the touch, and he guessed that there was a sizable bruise there as well. Newkirk sat back down and handed the two of them dish-towels packed with snow.

"So how exactly did you know we would be here?" Jaspert asked them.

"This castle was supposed to be Alek's hideout for the war. He used to be in line for the Austrian throne and the German's were hunting him so they packed this place with supplies and stayed low," she began.

"Then the _Leviathan _crashed here and brought the Germans back so we decided to help each other," Alek continued. "The rest you can read about in the _New York World_ if you like." Deryn rolled her eyes again at the mention of Malone's handiwork.

"Alright, but how did you know _we_ would be here? After the _Minotaur_ and everything?" Jaspert asked again.

"We didn't," Deryn answered back. "Alek went crazy with his providence talk again and asked Dr. Barlow if we could borrow the Capitoline," she said bluntly. "The whole thing was his idea."

"Alek, I owe you my life enough times as it is. Here in the mountains, during the revolution in Istanbul, and that Tesla incident . . . will you never be satisfied?"

"Stop nearly getting yourself killed," Deryn said and laughed a bit. At this Newkirk smiled but quickly grew somber.

"We still are curious as to how you did get here though," Alek said softly. Newkirk glanced at Jaspert, and slowly began speaking.

"Me and some of the other middies from the _Leviathan_ transferred ships the last time we came into port. It was the captain's idea. He said that now that the _Leviathan_ has gathered so much international attention, the Admiralty is going to use it as a publicity tool. They want it to wave the Union Jack over important places where pictures will be taken, but not where it might make any real use. So we were transferred to where we might actually do some good. Even Mr. Rigby decided to transfer. We both picked the _Minotaur_ because you said your cousin was serving on it. I figured the Sharp family is good luck you know?" Deryn smiled back at him a little and waited for him to continue.

"A month after the transfer, we got word from the admiralty that we needed to pick up some precious cargo and take it south. We picked it up in London and headed for Milan. All we had to do was drop it there and head back home," he said slowly.

"But we were boarded," Jaspert added. He now looked as serious as Deryn had when she held her pistol to his head. "While we were flying over Switzerland. The German's used some kind of glider plane and came over on top of us. The thing didn't have any engines so we never heard it coming. About 6 or 7 of them boarded us on the dorsal side in the middle of the night when only a few of us were on watch. They snuck in through the gastric channel and somehow made it all the way to the bridge without being spotted once." Jaspert added and paused. He took a deep breath in and continued. "They got all the officers in the bridge and tossed them overboard. They locked and baracaded the doors to the bridge so we couldn't get to them."

"But we didn't even notice they were there until the _Minotaur_ was already headed towards Austria!" Newkirk grunted. "Mr. Rigby noticed that no messages from the bridge had come up in a while and they weren't responding to any message lizards. Then we heard gunshots and Mr. Rigby realized what was going on. They had turned the ship towards the Swiss-Austrian boarder and simply waited to get shot down." Newkirk's voice was rising as he spoke.

"We were able to shut the motivator engines off, but the beast still thundered on where it was told to go. We repelled down the flank to try and get into the bridge through the windows, but by that time it was too late. We saw the Germans hop out of the windows below us and used mechanical wings to escape." Jaspert gestured with his hands to describe what he saw. "That was about the time the first of the flak hit us," he said slowly and looked back to Newkirk, expecting him to continue.

Newkirk breathed and continued for Jaspert. "The shrapnel cut holes in the membrane that were too big to repair. The beast had turned around at this point but was already going down. We lost altitude and came down hard on a mountainside. The only people who made it were anyone who happened to be topside at the time. So just middies, a few engineers, hydrogen-sniffers, and the bosuns."

"Mr. Rigby had managed to save the cargo by bringing it topside. After we came down, he handed it over to us and told us to run for it." Newkirk paused again and held his breath for a moment. Alek could tell what he was going to say next. He hoped he was wrong.

"He told me that he and the other bosuns would stay and hold them off. I tried to stay and talk him out of it, but bullets started whizzing by. He propped up an air cannon and started firing what few rounds he had. We turned and ran up the mountain side and and headed for Switzerland with the cargo," He said quickly. He breathed one more time and slowly muttered, "I was at the top when I first saw the fire."

Newkirk and Jaspert both remained silent for a few moments. Alek saw Deryn clench her fists. She looked like she was a mixture of angry and horrified. Alek resisted the urge to comfort her, and looked back at Newkirk.

"Then I told everyone about this castle and we hiked it out. It took us three days and most of the hydrogen sniffers did not make it. We did not have any boffins to help out when they were sick or injured. We got here and have been living off the storeroom since," Newkirk finished and justured to the room around them. Everyone lifted their heads up a bit and the room seemed a little less dark.

This was a lot to take in at once, Alek thought. He was sure Deryn would not take this kind of a story lightly. Bovril was still curled on her shoulder as silent as before. One question had been bothering him since the start of this story. he lifted the ice back up to his cheek and turned to Jaspert.

"If you don't mind my asking, what is the cargo that you were transporting?" Alek asked. Deryn lifted her head up and waited for the answer as well. Jaspert looked at Newkirk, who nodded back in approval.

"Its more of a who," Jaspert muttured.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

"Its more of a who," Jaspert muttered. "And we have no barking clue." Deryn's eyes went wide and she unclenched her fists. The whole barking mess was for a person? Who on earth could merit such attention from both the Admiralty and the German Empire?

"And you have this cargo here in the castle?" Alek asked.

"Yes, all the others are keeping an extra close eye on him," Newkirk said, leaning back in his chair and gesturing to the other kitchen door. "I'm actually hoping that maybe you could get us some information, you highness," Newkirk added.

"Its just Alek now, Mr. Newkirk. And what do you mean exactly?" Alek asked back.

"The bugger doesn't speak a word of English," Jaspert said.

"I actually think he does. See, I'm pretty sure he's some kind of Austrian royalty, and since I'm acquainted with one already . . ." Newkirk pointed to Alek ". . . I know that they educate their nobles and royals in many different languages. My guess is that he just does not want to speak with us."

Deryn saw the prince sit up a little straighter at the words 'Austrian royal.' At one point, both Alek and his Father were in line for the Austrian throne. If this really was an Austrian nobleman of some kind, there was a slight chance that he would know who it was.

"Mr. Newkirk, I'd be happy to help. I'd very much like a word with this 'Mr. Cargo'. Dylan, could you and Jaspert go outside and check on the Capitoline? Go ahead and report that we've made contact with the survivors to Dr. Barlow as well. Then you should bring it inside and give it something to eat," Alek said sternly. He phrased everything like a request, but he spoke like he was giving orders. _I did say he should be in charge, _she thought.

"I'll go fetch some of the middies to help you. They'll be happy to help you get them off this rock," Newkirk said standing up. "Lets go see about that cargo too."

"Wait," Alek said to her, stopping her from turning around. "Bovril? You're coming with me." The wee beastie popped his head up from Deryn's shoulder and squeaked a bit. Clearly Bovril was overjoyed that he was allowed to speak again and began repeating words that he had heard while listening.

"Barking Princes," he said as he scuttled off of Deryns shoulder. He then jumped and climbed up Alek's shoulder taking a firm seat on his left side. "Olé," he grunted in the same satisfied manner Jaspert had a few minutes before. This made Jaspert laugh.

"I like this thing," he said and turned towards the main corridor. Deryn was about to follow him when Newkirk stopped her.

"And Dylan . . ." He began and turned towards her. ". . . its . . . its good to see you again," he said softly. Deryn could tell that he had been through a lot since she left the _Leviathan_, and she was more than happy to see him as well. Seeing him so defeated, so exausted and hopeless when he told his story tore a small hole inside her. Newkirk had always been a friend to her, and she hated seeing him like that.

She stepped forward and gave him the manliest and thickest hug she could muster. He squeezed her back and let her go with a smile. "You too Newkirk," was all she could say back and turned to leave.

* * *

There was more hugging a few minutes later. A flurry of midshipmen and riggers came out of the front door and surrounded her. She recognized a few faces, but she guessed that most of them were just happy to see a friendly face. Plus, she held the ticket to their rescue, which probably made her quite popular among the ranks.

They had brought out some sort of stew for the Capitoline that looked like a combination of beans and military rations. It steamed a bit out of the large crate it was carried in. The crate was lined with tarp so the messy concoction would not go anywhere.

"Scrap, we call it," one of the middies said, eyeing the Capitoline with curiosity. The beast was up and about now. It sniffed the mess curiously and lapped at it a few times with its massive tongue. It continued to do so while its eyes darted back and forth between the strangers. Deryn remembered what Dr. Barlow had said about it recognizing friends and foes like humans did. Just in case, Deryn stepped over to the beast's head and patted its ears beneath the headgear.

"It's alright beastie. They're friends," she assured it. The beast took her affection as a sign of security and its gaze focused on the Scrap. Deryn turned around and climbed up the saddle, peering out at the airmen before her. A dozen? Maybe less? She realized she had all of their undivided attention and she needed to say something. She stepped forward and put her hand on the release for the antenna.

"Gentlemen. Here is your ticket home," she said loudly and pulled at the release. The antenna shot up into the air and swayed a bit as the Capitline continued eating. All the men gave a triumphant roar together and began clapping each other on the back. Deryn recalled hearing that same cheer in these very mountains when a strafing hawk downed a German areoplane. It felt amazing then too.

She stepped towards the mouthpiece and pulled on the headset. Luckily for her, the snowstorm had passed and the night sky was clear above them. She had no static coming from the headset and she began hailing.

"Hail . . . gah which day is it . . . Hail six, hail six, Capitoline six," she said clearly into the mouthpiece. Her brother had joined her atop the saddle and was listening closely. There was no answer for a moment. She guessed that at this time of night, one of the Barlow brothers had taken a shift at the com-unit and had fallen asleep. She hailed a few more times before she heard a scramble and some mumbling.

"Ah, yes. Hail six, Capitoline. How are you lads doing?" she heard Jeremy Barlow ask.

"We've made it to the target and we have made contact. I repeat, we have made contact with the survivors," she said loudly and smiled a little.

"Bloody hell, really? Fantastic work gentlemen!" he said and laughed a bit over the radio. All the men in front of her were now beaming at her from her words. Never had she seen a more thankful face than that of a rescued soldier.

She began relaying other information to Jeremy as well. She mentioned the glider raid on the_ Minotaur_ and noted the number of survivors. She cautioned that any rescue attempt should take precautions to avoid the same fate.

"Right. I'll go get Nora, and we'll get the ball rolling. We'll make contact again at noon tomorrow. Congratulations lads!" he said and the signed off. She pulled off the headset and began cranking at the antenna.

A few minutes later, the men helped pull the Capitoline into the great hall. Deryn was about to go find her brother when Newkirk found her.

"Oi, Dylan! Alek and Mr. Cargo need to speak with you," he said and motioned down hall. She wasted no time and took off towards the kitchen again. "They're in the study!" Newkirk called out to her as she ran. She continued down the hallway and came up to the stateroom door, which was lit with candles on either side. Deryn knocked on the door and heard Alek's voice.

"Come in Dylan," he said in German.

She stepped inside and looked around. The study had an iron chandelier hanging from the arched ceiling. The carpet was thicker than in the corridor and the walls were decorated with the portraits of old noblemen of some kind. On the left wall was a fireplace that lit up the whole room with an orange glow. Bovril sat on the floor in front of the fire, warming himself up. She could see Alek leaning up against the wall beside it, looking pensive. To his left was tall figure who turned toward her.

The man was tall and very well dressed. Military decorations lined his shoulder and glinted in the firelight. His face was calm and collective as he looked her up and down. He had a thin moustache that matched the color of his short dark hair. His uniform was spotless and his posture was perfect. Deryn noticed that there were two stars on the end of his collar. He held a glass of wine in his hand and swirled it about.

"Dylan," Alek began, "May I present his highness Prince Karl Franz Joseph Ludwig von Hapsburg-Lothringen."

* * *

**A/N: **Fun fact; This guy was a real guy and really was a Hapsburg. I saw his portrat photo and thought, 'he needs to be in this story.'

Things are looking good for this story. I may or may not have to rush the release of the last chapters. This is because (here's the exciting bit) my favorite Leviathan Fan-Artist, Stkidd, has agreed to draw a cover for the story! I've seen the sketches she worked on thus far and it looks great. Once that is released on Deviantart though, I will want to have the whole story up so if that happens, you will have to deal with getting all the last chapters at once. Oh woe is you. Please review if you found something I should change. Remember, I want this to be as good as it can get to match the awesomeness of the cover. Until further notice, I shall release the next chapter on monday as always!


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

_Great. More barking princes, _Deryn thought. Once she heard his name, she immediately gave a polite bow and remembered to stand up straight. The prince eyed her up and down for a moment, and then nodded his head slightly. Alek still looked puzzled next to the fire that crackled beside him. In the silence that was in front of her, Deryn decided to step forward and introduce herself.

"Dylan Sharp zu ihren diensten," she said proudly. She tried her best to sound posh and proper with her tone, remembering how Dr. Barlow would speak in German. The man remained silent in front of her, swirling his wine around gently. Suddenly Alek spoke down towards the floor.

"Bovril, I need you to listen for anyone else outside," he asked. Bovril chirped up and ran in a quick, excited circle.

"Aye princy!" the loris said in English and scuttled towards the door. It climbed up the door and sat firmly on the doorknob with his ear pressed against the keyhole. Deryn was glad Bovril had said that in English, noting how horrifying the Clanker prince would have found the exchange.

"Our conversation needs to remain private, Dylan," Alek said to her. "Now that you are no longer a soldier, I suspect that will be easier for you."

"Of course," she said again in her posh German. She looked back to the Prince.

"You may address me as 'your-serene highness' at first. Then simply 'Prince Karl' afterwards," the prince finally spoke. Although his words were as egotistical as she expected, his tone was surprisingly calm and casual. He spoke softly, as if sweetly instructing a child how to speak to royalty. "Let us sit down."

Prince Karl took the leather armchair across from her and gazed at the two of them as they sat down at the couch opposite him. The fire continued to crackle beside them, lighting their faces a pale shade of orange. They sat quietly for a moment, and then Prince Karl began slowly.

"I take it you understand German well enough young man?" he asked.

Deryn held back the urge to point out how she introduced herself in German, and simply breathed out in response, "Yes, your serene highness."

"Very good. Prince Alek recommended that I tell you my story, and I trust him," Prince Karl said with a nod in Alek's direction.

"Forgive me for asking, but are you and Alek related somehow?" she asked politely. She found it easier to address the prince if she pretended that she was speaking to Captain Hobbes.

Prince Karl smiled. "I see you noticed the 'Hapsburg' in my full name," he said. "While the former prince and I bare no blood relation, we do share the ancestry of the Hapsburg family. I also read about the incident on Mr. Tesla's contraption. While he might have turned into a Darwanist, I still believe he is a patriot at heart," he said looking over to Alek.

"My thanks, Prince Karl, but let us not discuss me," Alek nodded back.

"Of course. Mr. Sharp, what do you know about the Emperor?" he asked.

"Franz Joseph? Only that he's the ruler of Austria . . . and he's old . . . and he does not like Alek," she stammered in response.

"Correct on all accounts. Now, over the last few years, the Emperor has taken a close interest in my family. He would visit my estate from time to time and converse in the most polite conversation the man could muster. But when war broke out, I received word that the Emperor had requested my departure to the Netherlands," he said.

"Why would he send you there? That would be dangerously close to the Darwinist-controlled straights," Deryn observed.

"Those were my thoughts exactly. However, I did as I was requested, for I have never questioned the Emperor in the past . . . that is, until a few months ago." Deryn leaned forward in her seat, anticipating what he would say next. "One of my old subordinates contacted me after years without hearing from him. He told me of his suspicions that the Emperor had allowed the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand and his wife."

Deryn sunk back in her seat and dared a glance over to Alek. He did not seem phased by the mention of his parent's murder, but then again he had already heard all of this before she came in. She looked back to the prince, who continued.

"While I thought and still believe that this notion is folly, the evidence he had collected clearly proved that German agents facilitated the assassination directly. I wrote to my confidants in Austria about the matter, and they too confirmed the same evidence," Prince Karl explained. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, looking Deryn directly in the eye.

"My compound in the Netherlands was attacked the very next day," He said in a hushed voice. "Officially, the militants who stormed my seaside estate were locals who wanted to rid the Netherlands of any ties to the war."

"Well that . . ." Deryn loudly began. She quieted down, remembering her manners, and calmly stated back, ". . .Why would they attempt to maintain neutrality by killing an Austrian royal?"

"I had hoped that others would see your logic as well. Sadly, the event went un-noticed by the warring nations. I was able to escape with my closest servant in a small power-vessel I use for recreation. It was not too long afterwards that the British Royal Navy discovered us and took us captive."

_Blisters._ This was the second difficult story Deryn had heard in the same night. In Deryn's mind, discovering her brother in the mountains would be a simple and joyous event. She never expected the whole story to be so barking _complicated._ However, just like she listened to Newkirk's story, she kept her ears open and waited for him to speak.

"Naturally we tried to explain the situation to your Admiralty. They were less than impressed with our tall tale of being assaulted by our own allies. They agreed to let me be under close watch in Milan until the war was over. Now that the Americans have taken the battlefield, it is only a matter of time until both Austria and Germany fall. _They_ expect the war to be over within the month," he said and pointed towards the main corridor where the middies were finishing up with the Capitoline.

"And, what do you think Prince Karl," Deryn asked. The prince looked down idly at what little wine remained in his glass. He brought it up to his mouth and finished it quickly before clearing his throat.

"I, Mr. Sharp, would have ended the war yesterday if I was in Vienna," he said clearly.

"What?" she fumbled in response.

"You see, Mr. Sharp, what your Admiralty does not know is that the Emperor has named me as his successor and rightful heir to the Austrian throne," he exclaimed. He placed his empty wine glass on the table beside him and waited for her to respond. She took a moment to try and gather her words together.

"So, you're going to be the next Austrian Emperor?" was all she could muster. She knew it sounded silly to enunciate, but she needed to clarify for herself more than anything else. Then another thought occurred to her. "So why are the Germans after you? All there doing is making you their enemy. Also, its not like you're the Emperor yet," she said. Prince Karl sat back in his chair and explained further.

"Something else your leaders do not know is that the Emperor is already dead," he said.

"Barking Spiders!" she exclaimed aloud. That was a bit too much for Deryn to feel comfortable with. '_Why is he so barking casual about all of this_?' she thought. She looked over to Alek who simply nodded back at her.

"Not more than a fortnight ago, actually. The Germans are seeking to place one of their own constituents in power. This is why his death has been kept secret thus far. They will seek to use the announcement of Franz Joseph's death to validate their claim to the throne. Eventually, they will annex my country as a province of Germany and Austria will cease to exist." Prince Karl finally finished and folded his hands across his lap. Deryn was about to mutter some obscenity when Alek spoke.

"But they need him to be dead for this to work," he said to her. "If Prince Karl is able to take the throne and expose Germany before they kill him, then they will have lost their last remaining ally in the war and will be forced to surrender entirely."

Deryn was a bit dazed. The mess was much more complicated than she thought. Alek also seemed rather calm about the mess as well. She stood up and paced around the fireplace, collecting her thoughts. The prince was eyeing her closely; observing her like the boffins would a new fabrication. She was tired of the lies and the deception of sneaky people. But if what he said was true, than this might be the last time she had to deal with any of that. It could be the last of the war even. Then, she realized she hadn't asked the most important question yet.

"How can we trust you?" She reeled around and glared at the prince. "How do we know you're not full of clart? How do we know you're not just using us to get back to Austria?" She was almost shouting at him now. She realized then that she had switched to English and prepared to say the whole thing again in German when the Prince spoke.

"Well, I do not know what _clart _is, but I can assure you my story is true," he said in perfect English.

"Well, that answers Jaspert's question," she said under her breath. "What proof do you have?"

"Proof? Although my presence here might be considered proof enough, I believe that you are acquainted with the subordinate who contacted me in the first place. The man who told me of his suspicions about the Emperor is a former wild-count by the name of Volger," he said.

Deryn froze mid-pace. She stared back at the man, waiting for him to say more, but he remained annoyingly silent once again.

"Of course," she said with an exhausted sigh. She threw her hands in the air as if surrendering to the madness and then joined Alek again on the couch. "Why am I not surprised that Volger had something to do with this."

Alek spoke in German again slowly. "In his letters, Volger told Prince Karl about our actions onboard the _Leviathan _in great detail, so I believe every word he says."

"Aye, I suppose I believe him too. But Alek, the French forces are gathering in the south and are preparing to go on the offensive. If the French break thought the boarder, it will not matter who is ruler of Austria then. Germany will just take emergency control and use every ounce of military power they can salvage to continue the war," she said quietly.

"We've got the Capitoline," Alek suggested. "We can radio Dr. Barlow about—,"

"No amount of code could possibly describe this situation," Deryn interrupted him. "And if the German's hear that we've got the rightful heir to Austria here in the mountains, they'd be all over us."

"But we _must_ stall the offensive," Alek said looking back to Prince Karl.

Deryn thought for a moment. He was right. The war could last months longer and thousands more would die if the French invaded Austria. All that providence talk about ending the war started coming back to her. This new prince that sat before her had the power to end the war with nothing more than his word. What troubled Deryn was that at the moment, his word was all she had to trust.

"Let me ask you something," she said after a moment. "Lets say we get you back to Vienna and sit you down at that throne of yours. What then? Will you simply revoke all ties in the German alliance? Would you even consider turning against them? I'm finding hard to believe that a Clanker Emperor would betray his last ally so easily."

Prince Karl stood up and glared down at her for a moment. His gaze hardened and his eyebrows creased. It was the first time she had seen the man be anything but casual, and he looked almost angry.

"They attacked my estate in the Netherlands and murdered some of my most loyal subjects. Since then I've been captured by my enemies and then shot down by my own people. Most importantly, they assassinated the Archduke of Austria and started this hysterical war. My apologies, Mr. Sharp, but as far as I am concerned, they have betrayed me," he exclaimed. With that, he began walking towards the door. "I believe we've had enough for one night," he said while reaching for the door. Bovril leaped off of the door knob at the sight of him and scampered back to the couch. "Good evening," he said closed the door behind him.

Alek turned to her again and looked just as pensive as he had when she first walked through the door. "What are we going to do?" he asked worriedly. Bovril climbed up onto her lap and began dozing in the warmth of the fire that was now dying. She thought for a moment while stroking the loris gently, coaxing him to sleep.

"We'll wait," she answered. "Dr. Barlow will contact us again tomorrow at noon. With any luck, a rescue operation will delay the offensive. Until then, there is no sense in making any stupid moves." She scooped up the sleeping loris in her hands and stood up to face the door. "Its late, we need to get some sleep. We'll decide what to do after Dr. Barlow gets back to us," she said stepping towards the door.

"I'm going to stay up a while. I need to think," Alek said from behind her. Without another word, she walked out of the door and carried Bovril down the corridor. She trudged down the hall towards the servant's chambers and continued to stroke Bovril's fur. Her mind reeled through the day's events. The story she heard from her brother and Newkirk would have been plenty, but this Austrian Emperor business was not something she expected in her wildest imaginations.

"Blisters," she whispered to herself. She was almost at the door when a large white blur caught her attention from the corner of her eye. The Capitoline was sleeping soundly in the main corridor with its front legs folded over each other. Its face looked so peaceful, Deryn thought. None of that mess mattered to the beastie.

She walked over to the Capitoline and sat down, laying her head back on the great tiger's furry foreleg. The corridor was cool but the Capitoline's breath felt as warm as the fire had. With one beast beneath her and another sleeping in her lap, suddenly none of the mess mattered to Deryn either. Not then it didn't. She took a deep breath in, and sleep found her on its way out.

* * *

**A/N:** This chapter is very important. Its got a lot of plot to deal with and I want it to be as clear as possible. Were you confused by something? Did I miss an important detail? Did it flow like the other chapters? Review this chapter and let me know. Thanks to all my readers, I adore your time. Until Friday, Cheers.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

"Wake up you ninny."

Alek opened one eye and found himself sitting upright in the leather chair that Prince Karl had been sitting in the night before. Sunlight filled the room through the window behind him. The skin on his face had stuck to the leather on the chair, which did not feel remotely comfortable. Yet somehow he managed to get to sleep in this position.

"Did you stay up all night?" The voice of Jaspert Sharp battered his ears again. Alek tried to open both of his eyes, but his left eyelid was buried in leather. He let out a long groan as he peeled his face away from the side of the chair. "I take that as a yes." Jaspert was walking around the study, putting on the last pieces of his airman uniform. He was now wrapping his necktie around himself and eyed Alek with a mischievous grin. "Careful, this tie is a lethal weapon when I'm holding it."

"Yes, I applaud you for your creative use of it last night," Alek said stretching out his arms toward the ceiling. "Where is Prince Karl?" he asked.

"Oh so you have found out who he is," Jaspert said with the same grin on his face. "So he's a prince you say? Guess that proves Newkirk was right." Alek cursed at himself silently for letting that slip. While he was getting better at lying, it was too early for him to deceive anyone properly. "He's in the kitchen getting breakfast with Dylan and your little squirrel thing," he said.

_Dylan. _So Deryn had not told her brother about him knowing her secret, which means she didn't tell him their secret either. Alek was partly glad that Jaspert would not be sizing him up for his sister, and partly terrified that _he_ would be the one to explain their relationship. He pushed the idea out of his mind, focusing on trying to keep his secrets in check. At least he started thinking clearly again.

"It's a called a Perspicacious Loris, and what time is it?" Alek asked.

"Don't know. None of us have watches. The sun went up a few hours ago," Jaspert said and began walking towards the door. Alek watched him leave without another word. _Clearly he was only sent to wake me up_, he thought. It was good that he had, for Dr. Barlow would be contacting them soon.

He stood up from the armchair and stretched a second time, observing the portraits on the walls as he did. The faces of old Swiss noblemen looked back at him from each wall. Now that the sun was lighting their faces, they seemed a little less hostile then they had the previous night.

Suddenly the events of the previous night began pouring back into Alek's consciousness. The _Minotaur_'s crash, the middies' escape, the Prince's story, and Volger's involvement began battling for his attention in his mind. He peered around frantically, as if searching for what to worry about first. His head began to ache slightly and he felt like sitting back down.

Then he remembered what Deryn had told him before she left. There was nothing he could do at that moment, so there really was no point in worrying. The best thing now would be to wait for Dr. Barlow's word and decide what to do after that. Alek took a deep breath, allowing himself to relax, and followed Jaspert out the door.

* * *

"Scrap, they call it," Deryn said as he poked at the ungodly concoction with a spoon. It steamed in the bowl in front of him and for a moment, Alek swore he saw it move.

"Isn't there some dried meat left over in the storage room?" Alek asked.

"Aye, but we're saving for the Capitoline. She can't operate soley on beans and dried veggies," Deryn answered.

"Neither can people," he said and wondered if that was true or not.

"It is not as bad as it looks," she reassured him. He sniffed it and looked back at her skeptically. He decided to let it cool and try it later.

"Where is the prince?" he asked. Alek expected him to be in the kitchen with Deryn, but he was nowhere to be found. Neither was anyone else, for that matter.

"He wanted to get a look at the Capitoline so Newkirk and Jaspert are showing him now. We've got a few hours before the boffins call," she said and took the seat next to him. She leaned her cheek up against her hand and observed Alek closely. "You might want to get cleaned up while we're here," she said flatly.

"No, I quite enjoy smelling of sweat and animal _clart,_" Alek replied, mocking her tone and accent as best he could.

"Aye, the smell is one thing. But this is new," she said and reached out with her hand. She brushed her fingers lightly over his chin, playing with the small stubble that grew from days without shaving. Alek reached up and felt the stubble as well. He had gotten into the habit of shaving at an early age when it was not even necessary. This was the first time he actually had something to shave off.

"What if I'd rather keep it? I could grow a moustache and a long pointy nose. Then I'd look like Count Volger," he said with a sly grin.

"Yes but I'm not kissing anything that looks like count Volger," she said with a laugh. Alek was about to retort when he heard a thumping noise coming from the counter across from him. Bovril was sitting upright, ears splayed, imitating the sound of footsteps. Alek panicked for a moment when he realized that he was sitting a few inches too close to Deryn for whoever was coming. Not a moment after he scooted away, the kitchen door opened.

"Oi, Alek, your contraptions on the Capitoline aren't working," Jaspert said as he opened the door fully. He was covered in furs from head to toe and was still tracking snow on the floor with his boots.

"Oh, yes. The beast hasn't been moving around enough so the cells have been drained," he fumbled in response. "You see, as the beast moves . . ."

"Don't worry about it Alek," Deryn said while pushing away from the table. "I'll go charge up the instruments and take the Capitoline for a run. I'll take Newkirk along in case something goes fuzzy. You go and get yourself cleaned up after you've finished your breakfast," she said and walked with her brother out the door.

Once he was sure they were both gone, Alek let out a tense breath, thinking about how close that had been. He looked up from his 'Scrap' to the counter at the satisfied loris.

"Thanks, Bovril," he breathed and looked back down to his breakfast.

"Anytime," Bovril cackled back. Alek was about to dig in when he looked back up to his chuckling friend.

"You know, soon you and I will be having regular conversations together," Alek said, expecting to hear more chuckling.

"Soon?" Bovril asked back. Alek wondered just how much progress Bovril had made so far. After leaving the _Leviathan,_ the loris was getting more and more fluent with his words and phrases. So much so that it was beginning to feel like speaking to a human being. He decided to throw the Loris a short test, while he had the time.

"Alright then. Tell me, Bovril, did you hear anything last night that you think I should know?" Alek asked.

Bovril sat up and twitched for a moment, thumping his foot on the counter's surface. Alek could almost see the gears spinning between his ears as the beast contemplated his question. The loris stopped suddenly and leapt down to the floor and made his way to the table that Alek was sitting at. Bovril leaned in close, as if to tell the boy a secret.

"Proof? The Emperor has named me as his successor . . ." the loris whispered in Prince Karl's tone. He remained silent for another moment before uttering, "Where is the letter from the Pope?"

Alek thought hard about what this could mean. The Loris had remembered that Alek had a papal-note naming him as the Austrian Emperor and probably thought that Prince Karl needed one as well. Alek was about to correct the loris, when he sighed and offered a hand instead.

"Good work Bovril," Alek praised. He patted the beast on the head and looked back down at his breakfast. Surely Bovril could not understand the complexities of royal anointment. Alek shrugged and took his first bite.

"Not as bad as it looks," Bovril said, observing Aleks reaction. The beast was right, but it would probably enjoy the 'Scrap' much more than he would.

* * *

Alek climbed on to the saddle for what felt like the hundredth time and scooted closer to Deryn, who had the headphones on and was leaning towards the mouthpiece, hailing their status. He could faintly hear the muffled static when he got close. The wind was blowing lightly and the sky was as clear as he had ever seen it on this mountain. But despite all of the fortunate weather, Alek still shivered in his jacket, regretting not putting on his furs after washing up.

"Have you heard anything," he muttered under chattering teeth.

"Give it a sec, your princliness," she said. She adjusted the volume knob on her headset louder and Alek could hear the muffled sounds of static and noise. All of the crew had made their way back inside now. Some wanted a ride on the Capitoline when Deryn took Newkirk out earlier to charge the instruments. Jaspert shouted at them to form up in the castle to let the two of them get to work, for which Alek was grateful.

". . . ah . . . ine eight . . . the . . ." A muffled voice came from the headset, but Alek could not tell whose it was through the static.

"Move us up there," Deryn said pointing to the snowy ledge before them. Alek grabbed the saunters and gently nudged the Capitoline forward, hearing the static come in and out as the antenna swayed back and forth.

". . . Cap . . . argo . . ." the voice said again. Alek could recognize it this time clearly, even through the static. It was Dr. Hammond's piercing voice struggling to contact them. After a few more steps forward, the signal began to clear.

"Capitoline eight, Capitoline eight, status?" Dr. Hammond said slowly.

"Status green, sir," Deryn hailed through the mouthpiece.

"Ah, very good. There is no need for code anymore, the Germans won't reach you there," he began. "A rescue party has been dispatched to your current location and should arrive by tomorrow morning. They have been warned about the German saboteur's capabilities so do not worry yourselves."

"Where will they bring us?" Deryn asked. Alek leaned closer to her ear to hear exactly what the doctor would say in response.

"The survivors will be brought back home immediately. The Admiralty would also like a look at the Capitoline as well, when you get back," he said.

Alek leaned forward towards the mouthpiece, pushing Deryn aside. "What about the _Minotaur's _cargo? Have they mentioned anything of that sort?" Alek asked loudly.

"Not that we are aware, Prince Aleksander. Though, my guess is that Dr. Barlow might know," he suggested.

"Where is she?" Deryn asked, pushing Alek back out of the way.

Suddenly the voice of Jeremy Barlow rang through the headset. "She left in a hurry early this morning for Paris. She met with members of the Admiralty late last night after you contacted us and then departed as soon as she could."

"She only told us that it was an urgent matter," the voice of Richard Barlow chimed in. Alek looked over to Deryn to see if she understood what this meant. She unfortunately seemed as lost as he was.

"Did she leave any instruction for either of us?" Deryn asked through the mouthpiece. A moment of agonizing silence followed. Only the static and odd gust of wind filled Alek's ears. He began to wonder if they had lost contact again when Jeremy spoke up once again.

"I suppose she did actually. She did not say much, only that you should 'move quickly'. Any idea what this means?" Jeremy asked. Alek and Deryn looked at each other once again, this time a little less perplexed than before. Alek was just afraid of what it could mean.

"Thank you Dr. Barlow," Deryn said through the mouthpiece.

"And thank you Dr. Hammond," Alek added before signing off.

The wind blew a little colder up his spine, and Alek let out a shudder. His mind picked at the two words that Dr. Barlow had left them, wondering what they could mean. Could she have known about Prince Karl and the Emperor? And what on earth was so urgent in Paris? He looked back to Deryn, who shrugged in response.

"I just don't know, Alek." She seemed at a loss as well. Alek looked down at the Capitoline, who was looking back towards the castle. He gripped the saunters with his hands and thought widely about their next move.

"Deryn, the last time I tried to end this war I almost lost you," he said softly. She put a hand on his shoulder and came closer to him. She felt like a shadow of warmth against the bitter wind in his face.

"Aye, but that's because you put all your faith into a lunatic," Deryn said with a smile. "This Karl is no lunatic, and I think he really can end the war."

"More than that. He can clear my Father's name and expose the way my parents were really murdered," he muttered. At the thought of his parents, Alek sunk a little deeper onto the surface of the saddle, letting his weight droop across the leather. Despite all the opportunities that lay before him, he still felt tired and broken. The world had changed so much for him in the past year.

Suddenly Deryn clapped him on the shoulder and gave him a slight shove, pushing him over to one side of the saddle. He reeled to one side and looked back at her. She had the saunters gripped firmly in her hands and was guiding the Capitoline back towards the castle. Her face beamed with newfound confidence. She seemed driven all of the sudden, much like she did whenever she spoke of flying. This was the old Deryn again; the one who liked to get things done.

"Then lets get that daft prince back home," She said loudly and pushed the Capitoline into a run. She almost seemed to be laughing as the thumps of the beast's feet began to get louder. Alek marveled at how at ease she looked, but then again she always looked like that when the wind was blowing her hair backwards.

* * *

**A/N:** I guess I tried to calm things down a little more with this chapter while still giving a little plot progression. There have been a few reviews questioning the historical and political context of Prince Karl and I'd like to sort that out now. Anyone who does not want to hear about politics in the story, please skip the next paragraph.

My research showed me that Karl I was the last Emperor of Austria and was actually Archduke Franz Ferdinand's nephew. This would have made Alek and Karl cousins. I did not know this writing the part where they had no blood relation so if you guys think I should, I'll change that bit to make it make sense. As for the Emperor's heir, at first it was going to be Alek's Father. In real history, Prince Karl was the obvious choice after Ferdinand got murdered. The reason the emperor was so quiet about choosing an heir in my story was because of Alek's existence. That is what made the choice fuzzy in the series. The emperor probably did not want to name another heir publically until Alek was dead (ergo the whole walker-dreadnaught chase in the first book). And yes, Prince Karl was happily married with kids at this point in the war.

If there are any things you think I should add/take away from the storyline, do let me know and I'll consider it. I'm re-writing a lot of the story now because originally I had them fight German's in the mountains again but now I'm changing it around. That felt too much like the first book and not it's own story. I still promised you a chapter every Friday and Monday and I will stand by my promise no matter what. Here is Friday, I'll see you Monday with chapter 21. Until then, Cheers!


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

"What the devil do you mean you're leaving?" Jaspert cried out a little too loudly. His voice echoed in the corridor for a moment, then faded. Deryn kept walking, despite her brother's rambling. She ignored his rampant demeanor and simply continued strapping her gloves on.

"We're headed out," she said simply, "and we're taking your cargo with us." Jaspert stopped short at that statement, watching in disbelief as Deryn continued walking towards the study.

"Did I miss something?" he bellowed in the hall as Deryn turned towards the study door. She shook her head and decided explaining more would only cause trouble.

She rounded the corner and found both Alek and Prince Karl waiting outside the study door. Alek's face looked worried and pensive again. He peered up to Deryn who looked between the both of them as she approached. _What now?_ She thought.

"We may have a problem," Alek told her. Deryn was about to ask him what happened when Newkirk called out from behind her.

"What in heaven's name is going on? Jaspert says you're leaving with our cargo," he said gesturing to Prince Karl. Jaspert was storming towards them as well, looking angrily at Deryn.

"Do you really expect us to let you waltz out of here with the Prince that got our ship shot down? What exactly do you think the Admiralty would do then? We'd be hanged for treason!" Jaspert blurted out, waving his hands about madly.

"Would it help if we tied you up?" Deryn calmly said back. Jaspert just looked back at her with a furious glare. Before he had the chance to retort, she turned to face Alek again. "What's the problem?"

"The German's might have a way of claiming the throne even if he's alive," he said softly.

"Don't ignore us Dylan. We need to know what's happening or we cannot let you leave," Newkirk said loudly. Deryn sighed and rolled her eyes. She wanted to know more, but the two airmen behind her would not let up soon.

"Hold on a moment, Alek. I need to deal with these two first," she said and turned to face the angry faces behind her.

"Bring them with us," a voice said from behind her. Everyone else became silent instantaneously. Deryn froze for a moment, and turned to see Prince Karl, who observed the two airmen closely. "It will require more than three to end the war," he said calmly. Silence followed for a few moments as the three Darwinists collected their thoughts.

Newkirk was the first to speak. "I told you he could speak English!" he blurted towards Jaspert, who stayed focused on the man before him with his mouth wide open.

"Did you just say, 'end the war'?" Jaspert fumbled.

"Why? We don't need them to get us to Vienna," Deryn asked. She turned to Alek, who was wildly surprised at the Prince's actions as well. He caught her gaze, and shrugged.

"Why don't we retire to the study?" the prince suggested. He motioned towards the door to the study and looked back at Newkirk and Jaspert. "I think it's time I formally introduced myself to my captors."

* * *

Deryn listened to the entire story from start to finish all over again. The two airmen beside her sat quietly, listening to every last detail as closely as possible. When the Prince was finished, he sat back in his chair and folded his hands together, just as he had with Deryn the night before. The man was always so calm about telling his story, and it wound her up.

"So . . ." Jaspert began. "You're going to be king of Austria and end the war?"

"Emperor, technically," Alek budded in, "and it can only happen if we get him to Vienna as soon as possible."

" . . . and the admiralty doesn't know about any of this?" Newkirk asked.

"All they know is that I am of noble descent. If they knew all of my history, I would probably be kept in a cell under close watch in London."

"So what was your plan Dylan? Just to give him a ride to Vienna and drop him off at the royal palace like a barking tiger-taxi?" Jaspert asked bewildered.

"More or less," Alek answered. "That is, until recently . . ."

"Alright then. What is this whole mess with the German's now?" Deryn asked loudly and stood up. Alek looked hesitant and eyed the prince, as if looking for a way to explain the situation. "Well?" she said sternly.

"Well . . ." he echoed, "it was Bovril who caught it before I did."

"As usual, Alek. But caught what?" she asked back again. She was growing impatient with Alek's stalling and fumbling. He looked down to the floor and searched for words before Bovril cut him off.

"The letter from the pope!" the Loris peeped from the top of the leather armchair from where the Prince was sitting. Prince Karl curled away from the beastie, looking absolutely shocked.

"Lords! I would appreciate if you could keep your creature from sneaking around me," he said in German and shooed Bovril off the chair.

"What on earth does that note have to do with anything?" Deryn asked.

"Its not Alek's note from the pope that we are concerned about, Mr. Sharp. It's actually a declaration from the Emperor. In it, he names me as the rightful heir to the Austria-Hungarian throne. It is complete with the Emperor's signature and seal." The prince was using his annoyingly calm tone again and Deryn's temper was rising.

". . . and just where is this declaration?" Deryn asked.

"It was left behind when the militants attacked us in the Netherlands. It currently sits in a safe in my private estate," the prince said softly. It was no wonder that he used to know Count Volger. She felt like shouting at the man for being so indifferent about the whole mess. She would rather hear him angry than see him stare back at her with his blank simple expression. Alek saved the prince the grief by speaking up.

"If the German's are able to get this declaration, they could forge the names in the title. If the document has the Emperor's seal on it, they would be able to use it to claim the throne regardless of whether Prince Karl is alive or dead."

"Why on earth didn't he mention this last night?" she shouted.

"I did not think you would be persuaded to help me so easily," he muttered.

"Can you contact the boffin's at your Zoo Society to see if they can get the document back?" Newkirk asked.

"We can't use the Capitoline for that or else the German's might hear. If they haven't searched for it yet, they will certainly then," Alek answered. This left only one option, and Deryn did not want to say it.

"So you have to go get it?" Newkirk asked back. Alek nodded, and began pacing the room in front of the fireplace.

"Without this declaration, I have my doubts that the court of the Emperor would simply accept my radical claim that Franz Joseph is actually dead and has named me Emperor. They might think that I have gone mad during my stay in the Netherlands," Prince Karl said looking up from his chair.

"Well its not like we have time to get you all the way back there," Deryn began. "The Allied Forces are going to stage the assault as soon as this rescue mission is completed. Maybe sooner." She began to put pieces together in her head. There really was one thing to do if they wanted to end the war.

"We have no choice but to divide. One of you must take me to Vienna and the other must go to the Netherlands to find the declaration," Prince Karl said softly.

"Split up? Out of the question," Alek said sternly. "There is no way that we can get that declaration on our own anyway."

"You won't need to," Prince Karl said and finally stood up. He looked slightly less calm now. He was more thoughtful and focused, like a boffin discussing the subject of life-threads. He walked towards the window on the far wall and began peering out at the snowy landscape before him. "I have a servant currently in London who can help you get this declaration back. His name is Nicklaus Shauder. He is the same servant that escaped with me from the militant's assault. He is being held under civilian watch by your Admiralty. Luckily he is not a soldier, so he won't be held prisoner. If you can find him and take him across the English Channel, he will safeguard the declaration as swiftly as possible."

Part of the plan was starting to form in Deryn's head. One of them could take the rescue airship back to London and find this Nicklaus fellow. The other could take the Capitoline into Austria and, without being found and killed, get the daft prince back to Vienna. She turned and looked at the Loris that was curled at her feet. This plan was too risky for them to pull off on their own, and she knew it. The Loris looked back up at her and met her gaze.

"Middies . . ." it whispered at her feet. Deryn caught on immediately and looked over to the couch where Newkirk and Jaspert were sitting.

"So that's it then," Jaspert said and stood up to face her. "You and Newkirk can go get that declaration while Aleksander and I take his highness into Austria with the tigeresque. I figure the more Austrians on board the better, since you will know the terrain. But they'll need a Darwinist to keep that beast from eating the two of them."

"Why shouldn't I go with them into Austria?" Deryn asked. It seemed a little too frightening to leave Alek and Jaspert to fend for themselves in enemy territory, especially with a Prince that the German's wanted dead. This time, Newkirk stood up to answer.

"We're going to need someone outside the military to get that Shauder fellow out of London. We might need the Zoological Society's help for that. Plus, my family has got a house in Dover with a boat that can get you across to the Netherlands in a hurry," he said slapping himself proudly on the chest.

This plan had too many holes for Deryn. Her previously spirited demeanor had faded into concern and doubt. Too many things could go wrong, and they had not yet thought everything through yet. But the main cause for her concern was not the perils she faced, rather the concept of leaving both Alek and her brother on their own. Alek looked over to her. The expression on his face conveyed similar thoughts of worry and concern. She turned to her brother and began to argue.

"What happened to all of that 'hanged for treason' talk before?" she pointed out.

"I think ending the war might save my neck sure enough," Jaspert jested. "And don't you think I'd let you take my place. I am a coxswain after all, which makes me the ranking officer of the entire surviving crew."

She had many different arguments and curses to throw at him at that moment. The horrible truth was that he was right. This really was the best plan they could come up with and no amount of arguing would convince her brother otherwise. Deryn let out a slow sigh and walked over to Alek. He met her gaze and stared right back at her, contemplating their options.

"I don't like this plan," he said softly.

"Me neither, Alek. But if we're going to do something, I think we're out of alternatives." She was almost whispering to him now.

"Alright. I trust you and I trust Newkirk well enough. You can trust me with Jaspert. I told you we would bring him home and we will . . ." he trailed off.

" . . . _After_ this war is over," Deryn finished for him.

* * *

**A/N:** Whew. Sorry, I almost did not get this in on time.

Great. More confusing plotlines. As I said, I'm changing things around a bit so the plot has gotten a little thicker. Let me know if it gets too too thick. Reviews are lovely, but not as much as your time. Thanks for reading!

cheers,

Johnsoneer


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Deryn took a deep breath as she observed the Capitoline. The beast was loaded with supplies and was ready to go once again. They had filled the supply compartments with whatever food they could find left over in the castle. Most of it was dried beef of course, but some of it was jarred fruit and a few loaves of bread. Somehow, despite the last-minute arrangements, the food available for the Capitoline and its crew was better than when they set off from England. _They'll need it,_ she thought.

The snow was beginning to fall softly and the sky was painted gray with a light cover of clouds. Deryn heaved the last few bags of supplies over her head and placed them as deep inside the compartment as they'd fit. There would need to be more room for this trip, considering the extra passenger. She tied down the bag as securely as they could, and looked back towards the ground where the princes were discussing route options over a map.

She leapt off the side of the saddle and her boots hit the snow with a crunch. She made her way up to the Capitoline's head and found it drinking the last of the water the crew had given it. They had simply melted some snow over a fire and given it to the beast in the bathtub from the main washroom. Jaspert had ordered them around again but did not fill them in on any of the details. There would be a lot of questions thrown her way as soon as they discovered that he left with Alek and Prince Karl.

The beast eyed her for a moment, continuing to drink from the bath, its eyes softening as she approached. She knelt down and began to rub its face with her mittens.

"Take good care of them," She whispered and continued patting. Its large ears twitched a bit at her words. Deryn wanted to believe that she had understood her, but it was more likely that a wayward snowflake had grazed her ear.

"Fascinating creature," a voice said from behind her in German. Deryn stood to face Prince Karl, who was apparently done speaking about their route with Alek. "It seems completely docile in your presence yet seems to have so many capabilities for destruction."

"Aye sir. I suppose," Deryn muttered in response. She did not understand why the Clanker prince was not terrified of the creature. Most Clankers were worse than Monkey-Luddites in the presence of anything bigger than Bovril. Yet this prince seemed hardly phased at all. "If you don't mind me asking, sir, why do you find a Darwinist creation so fascinating?"

"You expected me to cower for my life, did you?" the prince gave out a hearty laugh. "This beast simply resembles a large dog to me. Or rather a tiger from ancient history, when all animals were enormous," the prince trailed off. "Do not mistake me for a Darwinist, young master Sharp. I still find many of your creations horrifyingly abominable. But what I realize is that they have helped you create a strong society for yourselves. In my eyes, I do not see Clanker or Darwinist really. I simply see technology. Both are inventions made to make life easier for either side. A silly thing to start a war over really."

"Good point. But people will always find a reason to start a war. Religion, Nationality, Technology; none of it really matters all that much. Sometimes people just want to fight," Deryn said slowly, not entirely sure why she was having the conversation in the first place. The prince eyed her with a surprised expression, his eyebrow cocked up on one side.

"How right you are, Mr. Sharp. As we shall not see each other again until much later, I must bid you farewell and good luck," he said with a slight bow.

"Likewise, your serene highness," she said politely back.

"Oh, and one more thing. Once you find Niklaus, give him this and tell him I sent you," He said and pulled something shiny from his chest-pocket. He tossed it to her lightly, and it rang in the air as it came into her hand. She inspected it closely. It was a large coin made of polished silver. One side had a man's face on it, and the other had what looked like a building with a crown floating above it. A large slash in the metal tore across the building, misshaping the image slightly.

"What is it sir?" she asked.

"It was something he gave to me years ago. Give him that, and he'll do whatever you say," he said and turned towards the castle doors.

"Thank you sir," she called out before carefully placing the coin into her jacket pocket underneath her furs.

"What was that about," Alek called out from beside her.

"Oh, just saying goodbye and all that," she said and shrugged. "I don't know why exactly, but I like this prince for some reason. All the other diplomats of his age that I've met are all sticky-beaks like Barlow and Volger. Prince Karl on the other hand seems more like you," she said and nodded in his direction.

"You mean hopelessly lost and naive?" Alek asked back.

"I was going to say honest, but I guess that works too," She said and laughed. Alek chuckled a bit as well, but then grew uncomfortably silent. They'd be leaving any minute now, once Jaspert had finished with the crew. Deryn was afraid to say anything that resembled a goodbye, partly because it added to the feeling that they were headed into a death trap. She simply went down to the Capitoline's left paw and sat down, propping herself up against its massive leg. Alek followed her down and did the same. After moments of continued silence, Alek finally spoke up.

"I think you should take Bovril," Alek said firmly.

"No Alek. He's going to be much better use to you. You're the one the German's will be hunting after all," Deryn said back, not daring to look at him in the eye. She knew he would have that determined look again, just by the sound of his voice.

"You're the one who will be dealing with strangers. Not to mention the possibility of Germans ambushing you at the estate."

"You're the one with the ambush problem here, Alek."

"Yes but I've got a Prince, a soldier and a ten-foot tiger behind me. You have never even met this Shauder person," he continued. Deryn was about to retort when she realized how odd it was that they were fighting over the Loris.

"I have an idea," Deryn suggested. "Why don't we ask him?" she said. Alek looked over to her looking confused. He looked skeptical, as if she said something in a different language that he actually didn't undertand. She was about to ask what he was on about before she realized what she said. She referred to Bovril as _he_ for the first time. Its true that the loris had felt more and more like a person recently, so it felt natural.

"What makes you so sure it's a he?" Alek asked with a smile.

She shrugged. "He's got your voice," Deryn said with a smile on her face as well.

"He's has your laugh," Alek offered.

"Aye, and your brain," She said and began laughing loudly.

"No arguments there. We're both cracked in the cranium," he said and began laughing as well. Their laughter grew as the Captioline groaned loudly above them, seeming to agree with Alek's statement.

"What's all the fuss about?" a voice called from the ground in front of them. They both looked down and saw Bovril looking at the both of them, shivering and chuckling. Their laughter died as the loris sat before them, his eyes darting between the two of them. She looked back to Alek and gestured towards the shivering creature.

"Well?" she asked flatly.

"Alright then," Alek said and sat up straight. "Bovril, you know all the facts right now. Who do _you _think you should go with?" He asked the loris clearly.

The Loris just sat there with its eyes wide open, shifting between the two of them. It shivered another time before leaping forward, settling in Deryn's lap. She covered the beastie with her furs and he happily nestled inside.

"Nicklaus Shauder," Bovril said after a moment. "Sticky beak fellow." Deryn sighed. That settled the matter. It still felt a little odd to her; speaking to the loris like she would a person. But Bovril had been with both of them through so much. After everything that they'd been through, she realized that she cared for the loris more than she did most people, and that did not feel odd in the slightest.

She looked up and saw Jaspert, Newkirk and Prince Karl coming out of the castle's main doors. They both got to their feet and walked towards them.

"We should be able to clear most of the mountains by tomorrow," Jaspert said pulling his scarf below his chin.

"Keep updating your condition to the boffins daily," Deryn said.

"We won't be able to give away our location," Alek reminded her.

"Then just let them know that you're alive," she said back, "and while you're at it, stay alive."

"Once you've gotten a hold of that declaration, bring it back to the boffins and they can fly it out to us by messenger hawk," Jaspert said.

"Don't you think that's a bit risky," Newkirk offered.

"It's not like we have much of a choice," he said flatly.

"If it gets lost in the wilderness along the way, that would still be better than the Germans finding it," Prince Karl said.

"Aye. Well then, I guess the next time we see you will be when this daft war is behind us. Do you think that Austria and Britain might be allies by the end of it?" Newkirk asked the prince.

"I doubt we could push it that far. More like a peaceful coexistence," he answered.

"We're killing daylight. Lets get a move on," Jaspert said and trudged off towards the Capitoline. The two princes followed him. Alek climbed up first and offered a hand to Prince Karl, who began hoisting himself up the beast's flank. Before Deryn could say anything, Jaspert turned around quickly and pulled her into a firm hug.

"Thanks for coming to my rescue, sis," he whispered. She held on to him for what was probably long seconds but for what felt like fleeting moments.

"Aye, Jas. Do me a favor and don't waste my efforts, alright?" she asked back softly. He simply pulled back and smiled at her, clapping her on the shoulder once.

"Made a fine soldier out of you, didn't we?" he said. With that, he turned and scampered up the saddle as fast as a middy up the ratlines. The Capitoline growled softly as the instruments on the saddle hummed to life once more. Its claws sank deeper into the snow and its eyes looked ahead into the gray abyss before them.

Deryn saw Alek clip himself in at the saunters. She fixed her eyes on him as he gripped them tightly. He looked down and met her gaze. So many things came into her head at that moment. She wanted to tell him to be careful, that she thought the mission was ridiculous, and that she wanted to forget the whole thing and call it quits while they were still here. Part of her even wanted to say that she'd rather the war continue than risk this maneuver. But Deryn Sharp kept her mouth shut and simply nodded at him. He nodded back and pushed the saunters forward hard. The Capitoline gave a loud growl that grew into a roar that echoed across the mountainside. It bounded forward into the snow with a few long leaps,

And just like that, both Alek and Jaspert were out of her life once again.

* * *

**A/N:** Whew! I almost didn't get this one in on time. My apologies for having this one so late, I've been driving all day and didn't get back to my computer until just now. I can't wait to get through the next few chapters. Not because I'm tired of writing them, but the next few are my favorite so far. Review are great. Thanks to everyone who has read or reviewed my work, you mean the world to me really. Thanks so much.

Cheers,

Johnsoneer


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

The first day was just as difficult as those last few before they reached the castle. The wind was not biting so hard, but the cliffs seemed taller somehow. The ground slipped more underneath the Capitoline's feet and what little snow was falling still made vision difficult. They did not reach the boarder until late the next afternoon. Perhaps the Capitoline was working harder powering all the instruments. They hadn't oiled the components before leaving and the Prince sat in the rear of the saddle with the electric heater on at full blast.

Despite all of the difficulties, Jaspert seemed to be having a fantastic time. His eyes were lit up behind his goggles whenever they were moving. He would give out a cry of excitement every time the Capitoline made a particularly long bound, laughing loudly as they landed. It was like seeing Deryn zipping down the flank of the _Leviathan. _He began to understand why the Sharps made such good airmen; they simply loved it. When one loves doing something that much, the knowledge and skill comes naturally he supposed.

"We downed a tree on the Austrian side to get across the boarder like a foot-bridge. I reckon they haven't tidied that up yet," he called out from underneath his scarf. "It should be passed that mountain over there. The one that looks like a chipped tooth." Alek was about to note that they all resembled a chip tooth in one way or another, but at least the mountain looked familiar to the boy.

Sure enough, they found a large tree that was splayed over the boarder fences. Barbed wire lay in a tangled mess beneath it and wooden posts poked up from underneath the wreckage. The Capitoline danced over the tree with ease and continued forward having hardly slowed down. Alek wondered why he hadn't thought of that when they jumped over the boarder a few nights before.

"So where too?" Jaspert said.

"We're going to head along the river Lech for a while and then turn south across the main road. Its dangerous, but it will put us farther away from Germany. From there, we just head through the wilderness, continuing north by north east until we get to Vienna," Alek said gesturing with his hands at north and east. Jaspert probably had a good idea of what direction they were facing, being an airman. But Alek wanted to make sure he felt in the loop on everything. The last thing they needed was a failure of communication between the Austrians and the Darwinist.

* * *

They found the river by the sunrise of the third day and followed along the banks in order to weave through the mountains. The Capitoline started making up for lost time, stopping only for water every few hours. Alek spent most of the time behind the saunters at first. After a while, Jaspert offered to take a turn so Alek could rest for a while. Even the prince offered to help for brief periods of time, though Alek suspected it was only because the ride was marginally more comfortable than in the snowy peaks.

The ground sloped downward for hours at a time, and the mountaintops ahead gradually lowered until there was hardly any snow above them anymore. It felt refreshing to have the Austrian air fill his lungs again, or maybe he was overcoming altitude sickness. Either way, the journey was gradually getting easier on everyone.

After burning through most of the daylight, Jaspert suggested they stop for a proper rest before they reach the main road. Resting until the sun went down sounded like a good idea to Alek. That way they could recuperate for a moment and then cross the main road under cover of darkness. As Alek pulled the Capitoline to a halt, the sound of rushing water beside them grew louder. It was harder to notice before with the wind in his ears. The Capitoline huffed massive exhausted breaths underneath him. He patted its shoulder, letting the beast know how well she'd done, and began observing the woods around him.

Tall pine trees lined the side of the river and two large mountaintops lay behind them. The sun hid behind one of them, casting magnificent rays of light that hovered on the edge of the shade. All at once, he realized that he had finally returned to his homeland. The smell of the trees, the sound of the river, and the brilliant mountains all felt like home to him. His heart sank a little at the thought. The last time he was here, he was fleeing for his life. While he was still in considerable danger, it felt much better that he was returning.

Alek's boots hit the ground with a thud and he saw Jaspert unpacking the day's rations for the beast. He stretched his legs out as far as he could, trying to get some blood back in them. His knees ached wildly from the constant time in the saddle. As he looked back up, Prince Karl's face met him in a hard gaze.

"Do you hear that?" he asked softly. Alek turned his ears to the woods around them, but did not hear anything but the rush of water beside them. He listened hard for another moment, and thought he could hear something very faint. A sound like distant thunder drifted high above them, bouncing off of the hillsides.

"A battle?" Alek asked. This got Jaspert's attention and he sprang up from his spot beneath the Capitoline's maw. The beast nosed at the packed food, motioning for him to continue.

"I do not think so," the prince said, and continued to listen. The sound continued to bounce ever so lightly on the mountains around them. Alek looked back to Jaspert, who was moving toward the tree closest to him. In one swift movement, the boy drew his rigging knife, flipped it in his hands with a skillful toss, and stabbed it hard into the bark of a nearby pine-tree. He then leaned in close, covering the hilt with his hands and pressing his head against it.

"What in heaven's . . ." Prince Karl began.

"It amplifies vibrations," Jaspert said, keeping his face pinned to his knife. He waited for a moment and Alek listened to the rumble continue for a few seconds. He drew his face back and nodded toward them. "Aye, there's something out there making an awful racket. Its got a rhythm to it, like a heard of elephantine marching in time."

Alek looked up to the mountainside beside him. If he could find some higher ground, he could see what it was and whether it was heading towards them. The Capitoline was now deep in it's dried beef rations so he would have to climb on foot.

"Wait here," he said and began running up the hillside behind him. The fallen leaves beneath his feet crunched and caused him to slip a few times. Before long he reached the spot where the sun crested over the hillside. The trees staggered apart as the ground sloped steeper.

In the clearing, he could see for miles in front of him. The ground was flatter up ahead, only lined with a few hills in the distance. He scanned the distance with his eyes, looking for any sign of movement. For a few long seconds, nothing happened. Could the sound be coming from behind him? The distant thrum was dimmer now that he was on the mountainside.

He covered his brow with his hand to block the sun that was close to setting. He kept peering through his hand until he saw one of the distant trees shift. It shook violently for a fleeting second, as if being kicked by a mule. He looked closer, and noticed more trees around it were swaying back and forth gently. There was no breeze, even on the side of a mountain, so something else was moving the trees in the distance. Alek followed the line of shifting trees down the horizon when he saw a large cannon barrel jutting out from one of the trees. It swayed with the same movements as the trees around it and each sway was followed by a particularly loud thrum. The entire turret soon came into view behind it, and Alek could make out the image of figures riding on top.

"An artillery walker . . ." Alek breathed and turned down the hillside. He rushed back to the site where they decided to rest and took a moment to catch his breath.

"Well?" Jaspert asked.

"Walkers . . . an entire company . . . followed by artillery units as well," Alek said gasping for breath.

"They're moving this way?" the prince asked.

"No. They're headed east in a straight line formation."

"Ah. They will be using the main road then. How large was the company?" he asked calmly.

"I don't know. I couldn't count them through the trees. I'd guess it was at least 30 walkers along with support runabouts and the artillery," he stuttered back.

"Did you say east? Isn't that away from the front lines?" Jaspert asked.

"Yes. They're headed back into Austria."

"Alright but why?"

Alek shrugged. "I have no idea." He turned to the prince. "Why would they call back the forces from the front lines in such a large formation?"

The prince stood and thought for a moment. "Clearly they've been summoned back inland by the General's summit. I do not know why but if they are recalling their forces inland, there will be more companies moving along the main road. We would do well to take extra caution."

"But they're Austrians. Wouldn't they help you out if they found you?" Jaspert asked.

"Remember, the Germans are in control of the military as long as they can convince Austria that Emperor Joseph is still alive. Chances are they have alerted the forces to search for me and send me to them once they find me," he said clearly.

"I see. Then they can get rid of you properly without attracting attention to themselves?"

"Exactly, Mr. Sharp," Prince Karl said and nodded at Jaspert.

Something was bothering Alek. If they were recalling Austrian forces towards the capital, then who was continuing the fight on the front? If they were spreading their forces thin, then the Darwinists would have no trouble breaking through the lines during the offensive. That would only quicken the German's control of the throne.

Whatever the reason, Alek knew that the German's were going to move quickly. This thought made Dr. Barlow's instructions ring through his head.

"Move quickly," he muttered to himself, and turned towards the Capitoline, who was ready for another night run.

* * *

**A/N: **Again, sorry for posting this so late. I'll try and get better at this writing on the dot thing in the future. I know this chapter is a bit shorter but the last 4 or 5 have all been over 2,000 words so it's a bit due anyway. I only looked over this one once so let me know if you find any mistakes. Review, but don't feel obliged to.

Until Friday!

Johnsoneer


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

They waited patiently for the walkers to move on before they crossed the main road. The giant footprints of numerous walkers left craters in the ground where they strode. The Capitoline dashed across the highway of dirt and they continued along through the wilderness. The night stretched deeper in the woods. The darkness surrounded them like the judgmental eyes of a thousand strangers that you couldn't help but stare back at. Alek found it tiresome and decided to camp for the night, once they were a safe distance from the main road.

The next morning had only one challenge for them; crossing the Innsbruck highway. It was a smaller civilian road that ran parallel to the one they passed the night before until it reached the town of Innsbruck. Alek did not expect there to be any trouble with Austrian forces on this particular road. It was the cliff side that followed along the side that frightened him.

From their position, the road ran along the bottom of a mountain that looked like it was cloven in two. The cliff face was far too steep to climb down, even for a creature as nimble as the Capitoline. Diverting in either direction was not really an option either. In one direction, they would lose an entire day of travel. In the other, there was a small village that lined the mountainside. Most citizens of Austria would find it rather strange that two of their princes were caravanning their way on the back of a Darwinist creation with one of the enemy on board. Once they arrived, Alek was even more daunted by the task than he had expected.

"Well that's just perfect," Jaspert exclaimed. The dark stone of the cliff side shimmered under the rising sun. Trees lined the sides of the road that lay nearly 20 meters below them. "How d'you suggest we go about this then?"

"These cliffs were cut by a river that flowed through these mountains centuries ago," Prince Karl explained. "The road below used to be the riverbed."

"Yes but there is no river now to break a fall," Alek exclaimed. He continued to eye the stones before him. ". . . and it's a long fall at that." Alek found himself wishing that he had Bovril to whisper something perspicacious in his ear.

Jaspert gave out a 'hmmm' sound and walked to the cliff's edge. He kicked a nearby pebble forward and it tumbled to the road beneath. "I'd bet you the Capitoline could do that," he said.

"Don't be ridiculous. No living creature could survive a fall like this," the Prince argued.

"Well, we wouldn't, that's for sure. But the Capitoline is fabricated. Each pound of its muscle is stronger than 10 pounds of human muscle and its bones are stronger than steal. Plus it's a cat, and cats always land on their feet," Jaspert said pointing to the Capitoline behind them.

"Even if the Capitoline survived the fall, we would not. We would be crushed by the saddle when it comes to an abrupt halt," Alek said.

"Aye, I know. I'm not suggesting we ride it down, I'm suggesting we meet it down there," Jaspert said with a smile creeping across his face.

"How?" Prince Karl asked skeptically.

"I've brought 30 meters of rope with us for just such an occasion as this. We can all repel down and then have the Capitoline leap down afterwards. That way, no one goes splat," he said and gestured with his hands what going _splat_ might look like.

"This is too risky," the prince said to Alek in German. "We cannot wager the entire mission on one insane maneuver."

Alek looked over to Jaspert, who was eyeing the two of them suspiciously. He did not look comfortable with the two clanker princes keeping secrets from him. Alek decided to dismiss it immediately.

"I agree that it is risky, your highness. But insane maneuvers like this have saved my life in the past, and it is something the Darwinists are good at," Alek said in English, nodding in Jaspert's direction.

They began to setting up the long journey down by tying down everything that was loose in the Capitoline's saddle. Even the saunters were strapped down so they would not break on impact. Then Jaspert set to tying a long thin rope around the closest tree trunk he could find. Alek had learned how to repel onboard the _Leviathan_ when he needed to get down to the engine pods in a hurry. He carefully instructed Prince Karl on how to keep his feet up against the cliff side and not to let the line out too quickly. The prince seemed rather hesitant, but not afraid of the task at hand.

Alek wish he felt the same way. His days aboard the _Leviathan_ gave him a very good head for heights, but the danger of falling was never actually this high before. They decided to go one at a time, so that if something went wrong, the other two could pull that person back up. Jaspert went first, skillfully planting his feet and leaning over the cliff side. He bounced along the wall with his feet as he slowly made his way down. Once he reached the bottom, he waved up at the two princes, signaling that he was unhurt.

Prince Karl would be the next to go. Alek talked him through the steps of setting off the edge, and he nervously began repelling down the mountain. The Prince took much more time to get down, but eventually, after stumbling a few brief times, he stepped back from the wall of stone and waved up to Alek.

He clipped himself in and set his feet, taking one last look at the Capitoline. The beast looked worried that Alek was leaving. "It's alright girl," Alek said trying to sound like Deryn. "Just wait for me to get to the bottom and then meet us down there." The Capitoline probably had no idea what Alek was babbling about, but Alek tried his best to sound reassuring, which seemed to help.

Alek kicked away at the cliff wall, letting the rope flow through his fingers. Every time he felt himself moving too quickly, he would tighten his grip and he would stop for a moment, hovering in the air. It was actually easier than repelling the airbeast's flank, he thought. Not only was the cliff side flat but there was also no headwind in his face that might cause him to slip. After a few more minutes, Alek's boots hit the ground with a light tap and he stepped away from the cliff wall.

"Well, that was the easy part, now to call . . ." Alek said and noticed how neither of his companions had said a word since he started repelling. He turned and found them both facing the woods across the road. Their hands were in the air and they stayed perfectly still. Alek's heart dropped and he held his breath.

Standing in the trees before them was a 20-foot tall Cyclop Stormwalker with mechanical runabouts on either side. Its large cannon was pointed directly at them, ready to blow them off the face of the Earth. The mussels of a dozen or so riflemen lined its flanks in the shade of the bushes and tree trunks.

"Shisse," he swore. How had he missed the sounds of an engine that size? What a _dummkopf _he'd been about this whole plan. Hanging off the side of the mountain, they were visible to the entire surrounding area. Of course there would be patrol skirmishes on these roads, and they would not have missed a few babbling idiots careening down the cliff side. And Jaspert, who was dressed in a British flight suit, was the first they saw. If the union jack on his shoulder did not give them away, Alek's practiced English had done the trick.

Alek slowly raised his hands up slowly and waited for one of the patrolmen to say something. The only horrifying sound was the Walker's engine's sputtering to life. Alek seriously considered that they would all be shot right here in the middle of the road, and they had nowhere to run_, _not with cliffs behind them. He had handed them over on a silver platter and he knew it.

Alek looked at the eyes of the riflemen. Each pair of eyes was focused on the three of them; about two carbines were pointed at each. _If they're not looking up, then they haven't found the Capitoline yet, _he thought. Alek raised his head and gazed up the cliffs. The Capitoline's head poked out from the top of the cliff with its eyes wide. Its front paws were pushed out over the cliff's edge, giving it a good view of where to land.

Alek knew what had to happen. The carbine rifle's would be relatively useless against the Capitoline, but the Stormwalker's cannon would finish them all off in one swift stroke. He needed to get to the saddle before they fired. Alek had to be the one to move a split-second faster.

He took a deep breath in through his nose and out through his mouth, and then whistled loudly. He saw the Capitoline's feet leave the cliff wall as it began to hurtle towards the ground. Alek dropped his head and broke out into a full sprint forward. Every ounce of his being was crying for him to stop and run away from the wall of guns in front of him, but he kept charging straight for them.

"Stop!" he heard someone call out in front of him. He did not bother answering. After taking one final stride, a shot rang out in front of him. That very instant, a white mass of fur and metal materialized before him, crouching low. The sound of a bullet striking metal was followed by the Capitoline's earsplitting roar. Alek could hear the terrified shrieks of the riflemen in front of him, but paid them no attention. He leaped up the Capitoline's tail and crawled up the beast's hindquarters as fast as he could. The walker's crew would not hesitate to fire upon a beast like this. He dove headfirst at the controls and found the bright red button that was covered with a protective casing. Without thinking, Alek tore away the casing and mashed his finger into the button as hard as he could.

A loud continuous crack came from below him, followed by the shrieks and cries of the soldiers around him. Lightening stretched out in all directions. Each one of Alek's hairs stood up on end as the brilliant cerulean flash continued to crack for a split second before fading quickly. The blue streaks danced up the armor of the walker and runabouts before, which echoed with the muffled cries of soldiers inside. The Austrian soldiers reeled backwards and some fired their rifles into the sky out of reflex.

Alek turned and saw both of his comrades face down on the ground where they stood. _The Tesla charge had struck them too. _

Alek grunted as he leaped off the Capitoline and grabbed the nearest stiffened body, which was Prince Karl. He twitched and shook violently as Alek picked him up and heaved him towards the saddle. The Capitoline seemed to know exactly what Alek was trying to do and quickly walked towards Jaspert, who lay motionless on the ground. The beast opened its giant maw and picked up Jaspert by his torso, cradling him in its teeth. Then it ran over to Alek and knelt down beside him, allowing him to grasp one of the straps on the saddle and clip in. He held on to the prince tightly and they were both flung into the air as the beast stood upright again. He came down hard on the saddle, but kept his grip around Prince Karl's waist. The air was driven from his lungs and he let out a painful cough.

The next thing he knew, they were bounding forward again. Alek could see Jaspert's arms and legs flailing about as the Capitoline charged forward. It took a giant leap and flew over the line of confused and terrified soldiers. A few more bounds and they were already fading behind them. Alek heard gunshots echo in the trees, but they were too far away in the dense forest for any fire to reach them. The shouts of the patrol faded behind them a little more with each bound.

Alek reached up for the saunters and reeled them backward. There was little charge left in the capacitors, but the beast seemed to get the message. It came to a subtle halt in the trees and looked back to him with Jaspert still in its maw. Alek climbed forward and took Jaspert's hands in his, hoisting him back into the saddle. A few mumbled words came from his mouth that Alek could not make out, nor had time to understand. Once he got the other two clipped in, he pushed forward hard on the saunters, not caring which direction they went in. The beast began dashing through the trees, leaving the walkers and rifles far behind.

* * *

**A/N: **I've realized recently that I promised you chapters every Friday and Monday, yet frequently add chapters at late at night, which really gives you the chapters on tuesday. I want to stick to my promises as best I can so here is this action-packed chapter nice and early. Again, review if you find something or just want to tell me how i'm doing. Thank you so much for reading.

Until Monday!

Johnsoneer


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Deryn took a deep breath and exhaled on the window in front of her, causing it to fog up. The frost on the edge of the windows had not let up since they left the Alps. She wiped the window with her sleeve to get a better look of the city. The lights of the streets were only a few miles away and were easily visible from every corner of the airship. Was this the fourth time she'd seen London from up high? It still felt as awe-inspiring as the first time and Deryn guessed that she would not get sick of it any time soon.

The airship that had picked them up was an elite-class cruiser called the _Lancelot_. It was the only other ship in the British fleet that was the same size as the _Leviathan_ but it packed a bigger punch. Massive air-cannons lined the port and starboard sides that could fire a mid-sized artillery unit at ground targets or zeppelins. It also had more cargo space for areal bombs and other munitions. As a result of the extra weight, the ship relied much more heavily on the aerodynamic lift principle to stay in the air. Consequently, the ship's cilia were much stronger and the ship moved almost as quickly as the _Leviathan_ did with the extra Clanker engines.

The beast's dull gray skin reflected in the light of the streets below. The Admiralty would not want to start an offensive maneuver without this ship planted firmly on the front where it was needed most. It took two and a half days to get back to Britain, so she guessed that it would take about that long for the beast to rejoin the fleet. This meant that they had at least 3 days to get that prince on his throne before the assault started. They would probably have a bit more time than that, but Deryn wanted to keep focused on being as fast as possible, just to be safe.

The day before, she'd been topside for the first time in months. She told one of the bosons that she was a middy aboard the _Leviathan_ and that she was dying for some fresh air. The man had understood her enough to let her goof about for a few minutes before ushering her back in, and _blazes_ did those few minutes feel good. It was refreshing to have the wind in her face again, but now it was time to set back to the task at hand.

As she brought her head back into the mess, a message lizard popped out above her. "Mr. Sharp, please report to the bridge, you have a message waiting for you," the lizard said in a broken voice. Deryn suspected it was the captain and snapped up instinctively.

"Aye sir, right away. End message," she said and began making her way through the corridors. Men in flight suits passed her on either side as she walked. They would be landing in an hour or so and everyone was preparing to make a night landing, which was tricky stuff for sure. Once she arrived at the bridge, a man in a well-pressed uniform saluted her.

"Good evening, Mr. Sharp. Your message bird is waiting for you in the captain's roost," the man said and gestured to the wall to her right. This caught her by surprise. Only important messages went straight to the captain, like the two-headed hawk that they picked up over Siberia. All the others went to the rookery to be processed.

"Thank you sir," She said and saluted back, even though she was no longer in the air service. She walked over to the birdcages and heard her name being called from the one closest to her.

"Mr. Sharp! Mr. Sharp!" an orange parakeet was calling out. The bird fluttered its wings lightly as she approached, babbling her name. She swore this bird was familiar.

"Clementine?" She asked. The bird squawked in response and became silent. Clementine was one of Dr. Barlow's messenger birds that she had fabricated for her own private use. She had met this particular bird when she met Dr. Barlow in London before, when she had the captain pour ballast all over the untrained men holding the ropes below. The bird eyed her for a minute, and then began to speak in Jeremy Darwin's voice.

"Mr. Sharp and Prince Aleksander, welcome back. Nora has left us with explicit instructions to help you in whatever way we can. Please let us know if there is anything you need before your arrival," the parakeet peeped and then became silent again.

"This is Sharp, Dr. Darwin. Prince Aleksander is not with me at the present. I will fill in more details later. Right now, I need to . . ." she paused for a moment. Was there anyway to put this without being hopelessly confusing to the boffin's in London? Deryn decided to ask again later if it was necessary. She made her voice as serious as possible, and continued, " . . . I need Nicklaus Shauder. See what you can find about him from the Admiralty. It is vital that we speak with each other. End message," she finished. The bird blinked at her, and then turned around on its perch. It gave out another squawk and then fluttered out of the cage's door in the starboard wall.

Deryn wondered for a moment how lost the boffins would be upon receiving that message. She realized she was getting glances from the officers around her. She turned and saluted to the same man who saw her in.

"Thank you sir," she said and walked back through the corridor. She still had no idea how she was going to get that Shauder fellow to help her, but there was much more to worry about besides persuasion. Whether the boffin's understood her or not, she needed to hit the ground running when she arrived in London.

* * *

Newkirk had to be discharged by the officers on board before being able to leave. Hours went by and the night was getting darker and colder. Deryn waited on the sidewalk outside the Admiralty with Bovril on her shoulder. Once Newkirk appeared, his face was somber.

"What happened?" she asked.

"They want to give me a medal," he said flatly and joining her on the sidewalk.

"Well it's about time. Why do you look all spooked?"

"Because there is a ceremony the day after tomorrow they want me to attend, along with all the other surviving crew members," he said. Deryn cursed at their luck. He would have to show up at that ceremony or else the Admiralty would be after the two of them wanting to know what was going on. They did not have time to wait for him to go on leave before venturing to the Netherlands. This meant that he would have to stay behind.

"I still have time to get you to the Netherlands, but I'll have to turn around and head home as soon as possible. We'll be cutting it close," he said. She began walking towards the London Zoo in a quick stride.

"I guess we'll have to either be quick about it, or I'll have to find my own way back?" she said and looked at him.

"I'm not abandoning anybody in the Netherlands," he said catching up to her.

"You need to be back for that ceremony," she said and shrugged. "I guess we'll see what the boffins make of this."

"Abandoning," Bovril repeated from her shoulder. "Sticky-beak Shauder," he said and chuckled.

"We'll need to leave for Dover in the morning. That way we can get across the channel by sundown tomorrow," he said and shrugged back. "D'you really think your boffins can arrange all of that? With Shauder I mean?"

"They have a certain leverage over the Admiralty, these boffins. They're Darwins, like Dr. Barlow, and one of them studied under the man himself."

"Blisters," Newkirk added, and pulled his jacket tighter around himself. "I feel like the cold followed us here from the Alps. This will make for a bitter ride across the channel."

"You'll survive, Mr. Newkirk. After all of that business in the mountains, catching pneumonia here would just be a bit embarrassing for you," she said and gave him a smirk.

"Yes, but if I don't have a member of the Sharp family close by, there is no telling what end I could meet. Every time my life has been in danger, one of you has always saved my neck . . ." Newkirk trailed off and became very quiet. While his tone was light, Deryn could tell he was hauntingly serious about what he said.

Deryn owes him her life too, she realized. During the cargo exchange in Siberia, she would have been pounded by tree-trunks if Newkirk hadn't been quick on his feet. Newkirk had been there the entire length of her stay onboard the _Leviathan. _The airship felt like home to her, and that made the crewmembers her family. Newkirk especially had been her closest friend, apart from Alek of course. To think she actually came that close to loosing him and her brother in the same crash.

Suddenly Deryn wanted to be honest with Newkirk. She wanted to tell him about who she really was. After everything that they had been through, he deserved to know. She opened her mouth to speak, but held back the words like an anxious dog on a leash. _Not now,_ she thought. There was still a lot of work to be done, and the last thing he needed was to be told that his crewmate had lied to him from the moment they met. Deryn thought back to how Alek reacted when he found out, and decided against re-living that, at least for now.

"Come on," she said and stepped into a run. "We need to get to the boffins quickly. We've got a lot of explaining to do."


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

The boffin's were brilliant. By the time she arrived at the London Zoo, they had somehow organized a meeting with Shauder for the following morning, and without even questioning them to boot. Dr. Barlow had always been able to twist Captain Hobbes to her will, but Deryn reckoned that Dr. Hammond along with two legitimate Darwins could ask for the King's socks and still get them. What worried her was that, now that everything else was in place, they had to sneak the Clanker out of Britain and return him before anyone else notices he was missing. It would take most of the day to get to the Netherlands, and they had to hurry back or else Newkirk would miss the medal ceremony.

Deryn drummed her fingers with her arms crossed across her chest, peering at the morning sky. The sun was still not up all the way yet, but somehow she felt like all the light in the sky was being wasted by just waiting for a Clanker to show up. The zoo's headquarters were still dark inside, but luckily the cold had not bothered them last night. She had hardly slept a wink, not that she had much time to. Newkirk was up fixing himself some breakfast in the boffin's break lounge.

At long last, she heard a tigeresque drawn carriage pull up from outside. She peered through the window to the ground, trying to get a better look. The smaller white beasties reminded her of the Capitoline, which made her wonder what Alek and her brother were doing at that moment. Hopefully they hadn't been blown up by Germans just yet. The cart creaked to a stop and a man in a brigadier's uniform stepped off and gave a smart salute. The boffin's assistants were waiting outside to usher the visitor in. It was difficult to see just whom it was stepping out of the carriage, but two men were escorting him on either side. The figure was tall and rather lanky, but she could not see his face through the window. There was some babbling, and they entered the main corridor.

"Everything is set downstairs," She heard Newkirk say with a muffin in his mouth. "We've got an equinesque-carriage waiting for us outside. That should get us to Dover in a few hours. The rest of the day is on the water for us," he finished while scarfing down the rest of his breakfast. Bovril had apparently found a stash of almonds on the table beside her and was happily munching away, listening closely to their conversation. She looked down and patted him softly.

"I'm gonnna need your eyes and ears on this Clanker, ok?" she said.

"Shauder the Clanker," the loris said with a dark voice. Was he imitating Volger? That man was certainly the most stereotypical Clanker-type that either of them had encountered. Perhaps it made sense that 'Clankers' would sound like Volger to the beastie. Bovril muffled a giggle and continued eating his almonds.

Dr. James Barlow walked through the door, looking as pressed and presentable as ever. He wore a thoughtful look on his face, and he slowly stepped in to join them.

"The man is not cooperating," he said after a second. "He will require some convincing."

"We don't have time for convincing," Newkirk argued. Deryn also felt the moments tick by as valuable time felt like it was slipping through their fingers. She then remembered her discussion with the prince before their departure.

"Do you think I could speak with him for a moment?" She asked getting to her feet.

"I fear that may put you at risk. We still do not know everything about this man . . ." Dr. Barlow began.

"We don't have time for convincing," Bovril echoed and climbed up her leg to sit on her shoulder.

"Don't worry about me. I've got Bovril here as my eyes and ears. Just a moment and we'll be right out." She tried her best to sound like Nora Barlow with her words. She began ushering them towards the door before she finished speaking, as if the matter had already been decided. They followed suit and both exited, leaving her alone in the boffin's lounge. She heard some more babbling in English and a little German, then the door opened once again.

The man who walked in was covered in a thick black trench coat and fine pants and shoes. He was a good eight centimeters taller than her at least, but was slimmer than any other men of his height. His face was pointy and his eyes glared at her. Deryn sized him up for a moment. She reckoned she could take the man in a fight, should she need to. She noticed the man's coat sleeve on his right side was far longer than the left. It passed his fingers and dangled about at his side. After a momentary brutal staring competition, Deryn gave a slight bow.

"Dylan Sharp, zu ihren deindsten," she said smartly.

"Ah, I see. So you're the one I'm supposed to be friends with," the man replied. For all of his mysterious and dark aura, he had a silly voice. It was high pitched and broke a little bit, like a nervous child in front of a classroom. He also did not have a moustache, unlike all the other Clanker sticky-beaks she knew.

"Please, have a seat," she said and ushered him towards the seat across from her. "You can remove your jacket if you like."

"I'd prefer not to," the man said taking the seat across from her. He had an odd limp that she noticed in the few steps he took in front of her. After the man had resumed his gaze upon her, she spoke.

"I'm here on behalf of Prince Karl," she began.

"Oh I am very well aware of what you are trying to do, Mr. sharp," he cut her off. "Obviously you are sick of interrogating Master Karl and are trying to get me to speak too. Even if you had any luck with the prince, which I'm certain you didn't, you would get even less out of me."

"Luck with the prince, Mr. Sharp," Bovril said mocking his tone. He eyed the Loris suspiciously. She shushed Bovril and continued.

"No one is interrogating anyone," she said sharply. "Would you just listen for a moment?" The man sat back in his seat and kept his gaze, obliging her. "I came across your 'master' in the Alps. The ship taking him was raided and crashed by Germans." The man's eyes didn't move or even blink. He silently waited for her to continue. "Right now he's on his way to Vienna with Prince Aleksander of Hohenburg and my cousin Jaspert. When they get there, they will re-introduce him to those royal types of yours and rightfully take the throne, exposing the Germans for conspiracy against him, murder of the Archduke, the whole business." She counted out on her fingers the list of things on Alek's to-do list in front of him. She tried her best to keep a calm image, since that is probably what he was accustomed to with that crazy prince.

After another moment of silence, the man in front of her simply nodded his head forward and asked, "And?"

That put her off. The man was taking everything she said for a load of clart. The least he could do is pretend to be concerned for his prince who at this moment is running through the wilderness. She took a deep breath to calm herself, and continued.

". . . And, so we need your help."

"Ah there it is. What is it you need from me exactly? After that long-winded story, you expect me to tell you everything I know?" he began.

"Would you shut it for a moment?" she barked and stood up. "No! You don't need to tell me anything. I do not need any information from you. I got all of that from that barking prince of yours. I know all about that declaration that you two left in that safe in the Netherlands and I know that the German's will want to get their hands on it."

Finally, the Clanker began to sink into his seat. His eyes went a little wider and he looked genuinely surprised at her. Even if he didn't believe her still, she managed to get his attention by shouting at him. She calmed herself down and ruffled through her pocket, taking out that large silver coin and tossing it over to him with her thumb. It rang in the air again and he caught it with his left hand, inspecting it closely.

"Prince Karl told me to give you that. He said it would mean something to you," She said and sat back down. He turned it over to the side with the slash across it and his eyes widened again. He looked at her, then back to the coin, then back at her again.

"What is it you need from me?" he said, keeping his eyes on the coin. She sighed and breathed a little easier. Now at least the Clanker was coming about.

"I need you to open that safe and take that declaration back. What you do with it is up to you really. Keep it hidden for all I care. I know that you don't want it to fall into German hands as less than I do," she said and waited for a response. The sun was now up and shined brightly through the window behind him. Moments ticked by and Deryn bit her tongue. Time was being spent, but if it got this Clanker on their side, it was worth it. After another moment, she leaned forward and asked softly, "Can you help us?"

The man looked back to her then put the coin into his pocket. "I do not believe I have introduced myself yet," he said. He stood up and began to undo his jacket. He used his left hand and unbuttoned his jacket and pulled it off of his shoulders.

Deryn held in a gasp. The man in front of her was missing a right arm. In its place was a metal contraption that had tightly wound wires running along the side. A four-fingered claw in the vague form of a hand lined the bottom. The mechanical arm went all the way to his elbow, meeting his flesh seamlessly. It was almost as if he was wearing an odd Clanker glove on his forearm.

"Clanker lad," Bovril chirped from her shoulder and gazed up at the metallic arm as well.

He was wearing a fine suit that looked worn in from days without wash. The suit's sleeve ended at his elbow, clearly exposing his odd contraption. He clicked his heels together and gave a bow. She heard a metallic squeak come from his legs as he did. She remembered his limp that she saw before and guessed that he had a prosthetic leg on one side as well. Suddenly she took back what she said about taking the man in a fight. He was crippled sure enough, but she had no idea what those Clanker-limbs were capable of. She gazed at him as he brought his head back up and extended his good hand in her direction. She drew back for a moment and eyed him skeptically. He seemed to enjoy her surprise at his revelation. She took his good hand and stood up.

"Nicklaus Shauder at your service."


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Alek shook Jaspert's shoulder a little harder. The boy had been out cold for hours. The Prince was awake and was moving around just like normal, but only after a certain amount of Austrian curses that were certainly less than royal. Jaspert had stayed out cold for hours more and it began to worry Alek.

"Jaspert!" he called out and shook his shoulder more aggressively. He felt the soldier twitch beneath his hands and he let out a low groan. Alek sighed, relieved that he was showing signs of life at least. He rolled over and covered his face with his arms, moaning loudly.

"Wake up," Alek pleaded. "We need to get moving again." With the Capitoline's help, they were able to put considerable distance between them and the soldiers they'd left behind. But they certainly had their attention now, which changed the whole nature of their journey. By nightfall, the entire homeland force would know to look out for a white Darwinist fabrication touring through the country headed east. They'd have to keep a sharp eye for any hunting parties or ranger battalions that might be looking for them.

It had been partly his fault, of course. Alek supported the idea of climbing down the cliff without even thinking about being spotted. Had he heard the plan before his encounters with the Darwinists, he would have dismissed it immediately as madness. Perhaps he needed to re-awaken that skepticism that Volger had once taught him. Clearly he had been with the Darwinist's for too long.

"What in blazes . . ." Jaspert coughed out after a moment, ". . . what happened? First there were guns pointed at us, then the beast flew out of nowhere, and then the whole world went all crackly." He rolled up and felt the sides of his head and torso, as if making sure they were still there and attached properly.

"That was the Tesla Burst," Alek explained. "The left over power stored in the capacitor cells can be released all at once in all directions. Its like a Tesla Cannon but with less range."

"You electrocuted us? Why the bloody hell did you do that?" he said loudly.

"Prince Karl said roughly the same thing when he woke up. He's re-filling our canines by a creek behind us. I didn't mean to get you two electrocuted too. I had to stun those men long enough for us to make an escape," Alek said reassuringly.

Jaspert was about to say something else when he clutched at his torso in pain. "Ah—, why do my ribs hurt?"

"Oh, that's right," Alek remembered. "The Capitoline picked you up with its teeth when we ran for it. I stopped after a little while to get you back on the saddle—,"

"The beast picked me up in its mouth!" he exclaimed. He then leaned over the saddle and began shouting to the Capitoline directly. "Be more gentle next time beastie!" he said with a laugh. "How curious that it new to come pick me up after all that lightning business. I thought that would have scrambled its attic."

"Dr. Barlow says she can recognize friend from foe the way people do. She must have known that we were out-matched and needed to run," he suggested.

"She?" Jaspert asked looking back to Alek with one eyebrow cocked.

"That's a different story. Right now we've got to get moving. I'll get one more message out to the doctors before the Austrian wireless catch our frequency." Alek moved back towards the rear of the saddle and reached underneath the metal casing again to re-connect the communication unit to the power cells. As soon as his hand touched the switch, his fingers singed and he drew his hand back with a hiss. He looked down at his burned fingertips and carefully looked under the saddle's protective casing.

The switch for the communication unit was scorched with burn marks stretching in all directions. His face felt warm from being near the switch. The thing must have gotten so hot that Alek thanked his luck that none of the supplies behind him caught fire. He then noticed something that bothered him. The switch was in the 'on' position. He quickly scooted out from under the saddle's compartment and released the antenna. It shot to the sky with a metallic hiss just like it always had. Alek pulled on the headset and tuned the radio. He heard nothing. No voices, no static, no faint buzzing at all. He tuned to all different frequencies hoping to hear something, but still the radio gave him nothing.

"_Shisse"_ he swore.

"My my, Prince Aleksander. There is no need for such language." Prince Karl came up from behind him holding canteens for each of them. He looked up at the two of them from the ground and began tossing up the filled containers one at a time. Jaspert caught them in succession and leaned over to Alek.

"What's got you in a mood?" he asked.

"Our communications won't work," he answered flatly.

"And why not?" the Prince asked with his arms crossed.

"The com unit was connected to the power source when I fired the Tesla burst. All of the wires are completely fried and the radio's been shot as well. We'd need a proper workshop to re-wire the whole saddle," he finished and threw the headset off angrily.

"Great," Jaspert sighed. "Out in the woods in the middle of the enemy's homeland with two princes no way of calling for help. This is _after_ being fried by a lightning bomb and being picked up by a great beasty's razor sharp teeth. My day just keeps getting better with you lot!"

"Climbing down the cliff-face was your idea," Alek said sharply.

"Aye! And you thought it was dandy!" he retorted.

"Something I clearly regret," Alek spat back.

"Now hold on you pompous pampered prince. I'm here to make sure this beastie underneath us doesn't decide to start acting like a proper Darwinist fab and eat the two of you. Don't go pitting our situation only on me. I might just stuff the next meat ration down your sleeping bag!" His voice was raised and he pointed his finger at Alek challengingly. Alek was about to say something equally rash when the Prince stepped in.

"Both of you please," he said climbing up the saddle. "Your bickering will do little more than get us spotted by a hunting party. Now that they know we're here, we need to be extra careful, which means we need to stay sharp, Mr. Sharp," he said looking at Jaspert. "And the communication relay was little use to us anyway," he said turning to Alek. "Out here, your Darwinist friends would be of little assistance. If we move quickly, we'll reach Vienna in a few days. We should be just south of Linz at this point, which means we are closer to Germany than I'd like. I suggest we get on the move again and avoid of the main roads for a while."

Much to Alek's surprise, Prince Karl was taking the saunters as he spoke. He clipped himself in and fired up the saddle as if he was in command. He _was_ in command, Alek realized. There was something strangely comforting about how Prince Karl kept a calm demeanor despite everything. Alek was relieved to be following somebody for a change, and that he hadn't said anything too regrettable to Deryn's brother.

At that thought, his mind immediately went to Deryn, and what she might be doing at that very moment. He hoped that she was better off than he was. His thoughts drifted to that Clanker she must have met by now, and a feeling doubt suddenly came over him. The Capitoline began bounding forward again and the wind began to meet his face. Despite his current predicament, he couldn't help but worry about the others. There was no telling what kind of trouble that Clanker could find himself in if he wasn't careful.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Newkirk brought the boat's engine down to an idle. The boat shook with the hum of its powerful engine and eventually it came to a halt. She had to hand it to him, Deryn thought. Newkirk certainly did have a powerful enough boat for the occasion. Apparently his family would rig boats with powerful engines and have races with other residents of Dover. It was only natural that anything remotely Clanker that happened in England happened there; it was the closest place to the Clanker nations in the UK.

They had made tremendous time, but the sun was already setting behind them and Newkirk needed to start back for London. There would certainly be questions asked if he didn't show. The best thing he could do at this point was to head back and try to keep the Admiralty's eyes off of them. This meant that they had to say goodbye here.

They floated about 500 meters away from what looked like a small fortress on the waterfront. The docks were within eyesight, but the building was mounted atop jagged rocks. The waves were smooth and broke quietly on the rocks in front of them. From what little light there was, Deryn could make out that the building was at least as big as the Castle she left behind in the Alps.

"There," Shauder pointed with his good hand. "That dock has a fuel tank you can use to refill the vessel," he said in German. "There should be enough left over. That is, if the militants didn't steal it after we left." She nodded and stepped back to the steering wheel towards Newkirk. Bovril was still standing atop the steering column, enjoying a slight ocean breeze in his face.  
"Clankerhands says that the last dock on the left should have some gas. If you run out, I'm sure the Naval blockade would love to give you a ride. Just tell them you've got a medal to receive," she said and pointed towards the docks. He put the engines back in gear and it sputtered forward again.

"So tell me this, Sharp. What exactly is your plan after you find this declaration? You won't make it far swimming. Is there another boat this bloke's got or something?" Newkirk asked.

"Another boat?" Bovril chirped excitedly.

"Not likely. Chances are they were all stolen when the 'militants' raided the place," she said making quotation marks with her fingers. "We're gonna get home the old fashion way; like civilians. Neither of us know any Dutch. But he knows enough French to get us into France. From there, I just tell them that I represent the Zoological society and the boffins take care of the rest."

"Why can't you just go in and grab it? Besides, who's to say there aren't Clankers in there now?" He asked back.

"Would you quit worrying already? The place has likely been ransacked and deserted by now. Shauder doesn't know the _exact_ location of the blasted thing anyway. We might be looking all night. Just get your bum back to London and keep the Admiralty off of us until we get back."

"I just don't think that Jaspert would be too happy about leaving his cousin alone in a different country with a Clanker who is half-man half-machine." Newkirk finished and eyed Shauder suspiciously.

"Clankerhands," Bovril said and eyed Shauder closely.

"He wants to help that Prince, and I'm the best connection he's got with him right now. Don't worry about me. Jaspert knows that if anyone should be worried, its that sticky-boots there," she said and nodded in Shauder's direction. At that moment, for no real reason, she put her hand on her hip to make sure that her sidearm was still in its holster.

Newkirk pushed the boat forwards slowly until it finally made contact with the dock. Deryn jumped off the boat with a line in her hands and her boots met the wood with a thud. She quickly tied Newkirk off and found a rubber hose with a metallic spout on one end. She grabbed it and threw it to Newkirk.

"See if that pumps anything out. If so, fill yourself up and get going. At this point, you'd be lucky to make your ceremony at all. No reason to wait for us while we're dilly-dallying." Shauder stepped off the boat and hobbled towards the estate without a word to Newkirk or Deryn.

"Well," Newkirk sighed. "It was nice to meet you too."

"Don't take it personally. He's a Clanker, and an odd one at that. Get going as soon as you can, clear?" Deryn asked.

"Clear Sharp," he said and smartly saluted. "And watch yourself ok? I'll see you in a day or two."

She gave him a short smile and turned on her heels towards the estate.

"Watch yourself," Bovril echoed from atop her shoulder.

* * *

As expected, the place was both enormous and empty. The hallways were decorated with dark red paint and the floors were made of diamond-shaped tiles made of marble. Seeing all of the grandeur reminded Deryn of how old the castle in the Alps really was. That castle was big sure enough, but the décor was old and the whole place was dusty. This was royalty properly maintained. There wasn't much gold on the walls but Deryn suspected the place had been ransacked.

She walked down another hallway after Shauder made sure they were alone. Her footsteps echoed in the corridor with loud clicks and she scanned the floor with her torch. She followed Bovril down one side of the hallway and eyed out one of the windows that overlooked the rear grounds. She could see well enough in the moonlight that the grounds were empty and covered in dirt. Odd, she thought. She'd expect a royal sticky-beak like Prince Karl to have a nicely trimmed lawn if the boffins back home could manage it. She was about to turn away when she noticed something odd. There were tire tracks in the dirt that were very wide apart. She looked down in one direction and saw that the dirt lawn continued for perhaps 600 meters in straight line!

"You have your own barking airfield?" she shouted down the corridor.

"But of course," Shauder's voice echoed back. "That is how Prince Karl prefers to travel. It's many times faster by aeroplane than by any other means."

"But it seems a bit dangerous for a royal."

"Indeed, which is why he flies escorted by 3 of the Kaiser's war planes when he crosses Germany." Shauder continued down the next hall and his voice trailed off when he entered the room at the end. Deryn followed him down and stopped short upon reaching the door. There were bullet holes all around where the doorknob used to be, which looked like it had been torn off.

"This is Karl's room?" she deduced.

"It is his serene highness's royal chamber," he corrected her, "and where I think his personal safe is."

"How do you know the combination to the safe and not know where it is?"

"Location and information are both different kinds of security. Prince Karl always favored one over the other. He made sure I knew the combination, but if I was ever tortured, I couldn't tell anyone the location. Compartmentalization, see?"

"Compartmentalization" Bovril echoed from the floor and began rolling the wonderful new word around in its mouth.

"Alright," Deryn said as she followed him in. She stopped short again and let out a sharp gasp. Blood stained the wall across from her in two spots. The windows were shattered completely and every last bit of furniture was turned over. Shauder was by one of the windows looking out at the docks outside.

"They shot at us from here as we started our boat's engine," he said and pointed out the window with his mechanical arm, holding it with his other hand like a rifle. "If the safe was hidden somewhere around here, they would have found it by now."

"Aye. So does that mean it's somewhere else or that they have it?" she asked.

"If they had it, they'd be ruling Austria by now," Shauder said and began circling the room with his eyes planted on the ceiling. " . . . and I don't think Prince Karl would likely keep it anywhere else." He continued to pace the room looking at upwards. Deryn saw that the ceiling had 4 golden sun mosaics decorating the room. The rest of it was plain white paint.

"What are you—" she began.

"Ah, this looks promising," he said in German and stood underneath the mosaic farthest from her. She followed his gaze to the spot he was fixed on and looked closely. She didn't see anything strange or different about it. Shauder raised his mechanical arm and pointed it directly upwards. His sleeve fell to his shoulder, exposing his entire arm. Down to the elbow it was a heavy dark metal contraption complete with a palm and fingers on the end. He reached up slowly with his good hand and fidgeted with his false one.

A loud crack pierced the air and Deryn saw the hand shoot from the rest of his arm, leaving behind a trail of thin metal wire behind. The hand landed firmly on the mosaic sun he was standing underneath and gripped it tightly. He gave out a grunt and heaved with his metal arm downwards.

"Blisters!" Deryn cried and ran beside him. "That thing is a grappling hook?"

"It's more than that. But I'm not heavy enough to pull this down. Would you mind assisting me if you please?" he said.

She hesitated for a moment, then took Shauder by the shoulders and heaved with him simultaneously. Bovril scuttled up to her shoulder and began mimicking their grunting sounds, which was being less than helpful. They pulled as hard as they could and after a moment of struggle, Deryn felt something give. The entire mosaic unlatched itself from the ceiling and was guided downward by spring-loaded beams.

"Ah, very good" Shauder said and reached up to his mechanical arm again. He found a small lever and pulled it towards him. It clicked, and the wire began spooling back into his arm, pulling the hand and the mosaic down with it.

"Barking handy that thing is," Deryn exclaimed.

"And none too common. It is difficult to find someone as wealthy as royalty to keep a servant who only has half of his limbs. But Prince Karl insisted I stay under his service, so the military designed these for me."

The mosaic was now within arms reach and Deryn reached up and pulled it down the rest of the way to the floor. Sitting on top of the golden sun was a black safe that Deryn suspected was small enough to carry. It would not be able to hold anything of material value, but it was certainly big enough to contain a letter.

"Well done Shauder. And I was beginning to—"

Her voice was cut off by a faint familiar sound. A distant hum shook the air and began to grow louder by the second. Bovril was already imitating it loudly and had his eyes fixed on the door leading out into the corridor they came from.

"Get that thing open!" she cursed and ran towards the corridor window again. She peered outside at the landing strip and searched widely. The hum grew louder but still she saw nothing. After another second, she saw bright lights fill the far side of the landing strip. The sound of aeroplane engines now roared in the corridor. The lights blinded her for a moment and she covered her face, stepping away from the window.

"Were you expecting company Mr. Shauder?" she hailed.

"Not from the Kaiser's _Hellfire_ pilots!" He shouted back. At the mention of the Kaiser, she darted back to the window. The plane had landed and was now rolling to a stop just in front of her. Sure enough, the left flank had the German Air Force cross on it. It was amazing that Shauder could tell not only what model the plane was but also that it was hostile just by listening to it. She'd be impressed if she weren't in danger. She left the window and joined Shauder in the master's chamber.

"If they're here, then they must know that the declaration exists." She said.

"You are most likely correct, Mr. Sharp," he said calmly as he continued to fiddle with the safe's lock. The engines outside began to die down. "And if they come in here and find an empty safe, they'll know that Prince Karl is on his way to Vienna."

"Could you forge a different letter in its place?" Deryn asked. As soon as she finished speaking, a loud crack echoed from the corridor. Soon the sounds of voices filled the room as well. "Guess we're out of time for that," she whispered and drew her pistol.

"I've got it!" Shauder hissed and the small box clicked open. Deryn kept her eyes glued to the corridor and aimed her pistol at the door across from her. "The declaration's in here too. We should close the safe to keep the—"

"No time," Deryn said and closed the chamber doors. "We need a way out of here besides out that door. They'll be in here in a minute."

"This way," Shauder whispered harshly and led her to the farthest wall. A desk was overturned which they both stepped over. Shauder pulled hard on the nearest light-switch with his good hand and the entire contraption came out of the wall. The wall next to him folded inwards and revealed a downward staircase.

"Will this close up behind us?" she asked as she stepped forward.

"Yes but that will not solve our problem," he answered. They both stepped downwards and the door swung closed behind them, locking with an audible click. Deryn lowered herself to peer through the hole the light-switch had left and held very still. For a moment, nothing happened. She could feel her heart racing as if she had fought someone already, and she became very aware of how loud her breathing was. She took a deep breath to calm herself down and continued to peer through the hole. The Loris seemed to calm down as well. Perhaps Bovril was beginning to understand when to keep his mouth shut without being told to.

A moment later, the doors to the master chamber opened and three armed men strode in, pointing their weapons in all directions. Their attention was immediately drawn to the safe that was drawn from the ceiling and they began to inspect it closely. Something was odd though. The men weren't wearing flight suits. Considering they flew here from Germany to land in the dark, they had to at least be experienced pilots. She heard Shauder draw a sharp breath, and she wheeled around to find him staring out the same hole in the wall. She glared at him, and motioned for him to continue down the stairs. He blinked, and pulled at her arm beckoning her to follow.

The tunnel led downwards before leveling out into a dark passage where men could only walk single-file. She noticed his limp now and she could hear the occasional squeak from his mechanical leg that reverberated in the hallway around them. When they reached the end, a ladder led upwards to where Deryn guessed was the outside world. As it turned out, she was right, for the ladder emptied out into a tree trunk that lay on the other side of the airfield. She carefully poked her head out and took shelter behind the tree. The plane was in full view but was many meters away. Deryn could see one man refueling it. She guessed the rest were inside looking for the declaration.

"Those men were wearing uniforms from the Austrian Royal Guard!" Shauder hissed from below her.

"Hang on. Does that mean they're friendly?" she asked back.

"Friendly Clankers?" Bovril asked as well.

"Certainly not. They are definitively German soldiers. Their carbines were infantry standard and their plane is a _Hellfire_ class fighter. They fly over the homeland securing the airspace. I've never seen one in Austria before, and certainly not here." Shauder pulled himself out of the passage and took shelter next to her.

"What does that mean?" She asked.

"It means," he huffed, "that the Germans have infiltrated the Austrian Palace."

"I thought we knew that already," Deryn said. "Isn't that how they're keeping the death of that Emperor of yours a secret?"

"The Emperor died while attending a war conference in Berlin. As far as any Austrian Generals are concerned, he is still there speaking with the Kaiser."

"So they've got agents disguised as well? They basically run Austria already! This whole Prince business is just turning out to be a waste of time."

"Do you not understand?" he spat in a hissing whisper. "They know that the Prince is at large and that the declaration is now missing. Even if they haven't been spotted prancing through Austria on that beast of yours, they will be expecting the prince to reveal himself in Vienna any day!"

" . . . which means that they're heading into a trap," Deryn finished for him. Her eyes grew wide and she wheeled around looking at the estate. "Alek," she breathed. She needed to stop him from showing his face in Vienna. In the time it would take them to go from the palace gates to the council room, the German agents would riddle them with bullet holes. She stood up sharply and holstered her weapon, gazing down at Shauder.

"Can you fly an aeroplane?" she whispered sharply. He chuckled slightly and gave her a slight smirk.

"That is the reason Prince Karl kept me as a servant after my accident; because I'm the best pilot that Clankers have ever known."

"Good, cause we're stealing that aeroplane." She said and began creeping towards the airfield, taking the trees closest to her as cover. As she got closer, she could see the aeroplane better. It was longer than the smaller fighters that the _Machiavelli_cruiser launched at them before. Its wings were suspended upward and it's engines were mounted underneath them on either side of the fuselage. There was still one man who seemed to be finished refueling the craft. He was simply waiting for the others to return, which could be at any second.

"Shauder, get in the plane and get it started," she said after a short breath. "Bovril, go with him. I'll meet you inside." The Loris nodded and scampered off.

She waited for the right moment, and then shot forward. She sprinted at the soldier as fast as she could and was upon him in moments. He noticed her coming and wheeled his rifle around at her, but was too late. She caught the rifle with her right hand, holding it away from her. She then grabbed the man's head and slammed it into the fuselage beside him with a loud clang. The man gave out a sharp moan and Deryn seized the opportunity to twist the rifle out of his hands and push him forward, taking him off his feet. She brought the butt of the rifle down on the man's head and he grunted before becoming completely silent.

The engines began to slowly roar to life and the propellers began gaining speed. She stepped forward and looked for the gunner's box that was mounted in the front. As the plane began to inch forward, she jumped into the gunner's box feet first and wheeled the main cannon around towards the main door of the estate. The plane began to turn to face the runway strip when sparks started lighting up in the windows around them. Bright flashes of fire started illuminating up the dark house and the familiar zipping sound of bullet's whizzing by filled her ears. She opened fire at the entire wall, filling the air with louder and quicker bursts of energy. The heavy gun kicked back at her like an upset equinesque and jolted her backward madly. The estate began ricocheting bullets in all directions and the men inside took cover.

"Get us in the air!" she shouted back to Shauder, who seemed to get the message. The roar of the engines got louder, deafening her ears. She saw the Loris scuttle up from the pilot's chamber towards Deryn and found a new seat in her lap, propping his head up beside her. The house began to slowly move backwards and she felt the plane bounce from the landing strip. Shots continued to ring out from the house, some catching the plane with loud clangs. The sound of the shots eventually died out as the plane picked up speed. The wind in her face was encompassing all of her senses and she sheltered her face. Then, the bumpy ground beneath her faded away. The world became smooth but the wind was still harsh. She whipped her head backwards and saw the ocean lit up by moonlight behind them. She couldn't even see the estate anymore in the darkness. She breathed a slight sigh of relief before strapping herself in and taking a firm hold of Bovril.

A thought then occurred to her.

"Shauder?" she nearly screamed back at him over the wind, "Did you loose your arm and leg in a plane crash?" Shauder began belting out laughter in response.

"Perhaps," was all the man screamed back.

* * *

**A/N:** Welcome to the long-waited continuation of Capitoline. More chapters will be up now that I'm on break from school. Hope this long chapter helps fill the void you've known since the last chapter. Review's always help with these longer chapters!


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Alek brought the Capitoline to a halt and listened carefully for a moment. The trees ended a few meters away and he could see a clear grass lawn behind them. They had been moving for the past day very carefully and managed to get to the outskirts of Vienna without getting spotted. Prince Karl directed them to the northern part of the outskirts where his father's estate was. By the time they got close to Vienna, they were on their last rations of food and they weren't anywhere near adequately clothed to appear in front of the courts.

Alek peered closely through the trees but failed to see through to the opening. It was dangerous to circle the city so closely, but if it meant getting secure shelter, it was worth it.

"My father's estate was passed to me a few years ago after he passed away. I haven't spent much time in it since then and I've had no one looking after the building since then," Prince Karl hushed to Alek.

"Lets say the place is empty," Jaspert began, "Where exactly do you think we'll keep an enormous white tiger? It'll be a bit of a squeeze through a kitchen door."

"There," Prince Karl answered and pointed. Alek could still see nothing through the trees but he followed his finger closely. "That hanger is used to keep our planes. It will certainly make a fair stable for the beast and it will keep it out of sight."

"You have an airfield? At your house?" Jaspert barked.

"It's a wonderful way to travel, and if you have enough space it is easy to make an airfield just by clearing some trees."

"That solves the housing problem, but what about food? If you haven't had the place looked after, will it be stocked with anything?" Alek asked.

"Not likely. We'll need to buy some from a butchery somewhere in town."

"I'm sure they won't find two princes and a British airman asking for an entire cow hide suspicious," Jaspert said.

"I'm dressed as a commoner and I'll pass for a chef's assistant. No one is looking for me here, considering the papers still say I'm in London."

"Lets discuss this more inside," Prince Karl offered. Jaspert simply nodded in agreement and looked back at the gap in the trees ahead. Alek took the saunters in his hands for what felt like the thousandth time and gently pushed forward. The Capitoline began easing through the trees again and soon the clearing in the trees came into full view.

The field in front of them was long and narrow. The ground was covered with a thin layer of dirt and the clearing in the trees was an arrow-straight line that continued for hundreds of meters. Airfield indeed, Alek thought. As the Capitoline began to quicken its pace, he noticed the estate at the end of the field. A large stone building with curved rooftops and a large courtyard lined the edge of the field. Beautiful windows lined its edges and wooden doors were placed in small archways leading inside. A hanger with large iron doors stood on the other side of the runway. The house itself looked familiar. This didn't surprise Alek, considering he grew up in a royal household himself. To a commoner it would look lavish and grand, but by royal standards it was relatively modest. The entire estate was no more than 6 meters tall, which meant there was only one floor through the entire house.

"Blisters," Alek heard Jaspert whisper from behind him. Alek sighed. To him, it probably felt like he was in a different world, but to Alek, he felt like he was marching up to his own home. He half expected his father in the study and his mother out on one of her riding trails on her favorite horse. A year ago, that might have been true. But his home was likely empty as well, with nothing but an empty bedroom where his parents used to be.

* * *

The city was not as Alek remembered it at all. He was taken through the city to see the palace multiple times as a child, but each time he would be riding a royal runabout or even a small walker with his family's crest proudly engraved on each side so the commoners would know who's visiting. This time, he was simply a boy with an errand. His feet carried him passed strangers who didn't give him so much as a second glance. While this felt odd to him, it was a good sign; it meant his disguise was working. The last time he tried to pass for a commoner in Austria, he practically announced his title to a mechanic who had teased him and they ended up running for their lives from a battalion of Calvary.

Alek shuddered at the thought of that day, and kept walking. It took a lot of convincing to let him run this errand out in the open, but it made the most sense. Jaspert didn't speak a word of German so he wouldn't make a half a mile without being caught. Plus, he needed to keep the Capitoline in the hanger or else they'd risk it escaping in search of food. The Prince wouldn't make it far either, seeing as the Germans might have deduced that the missing prince would come back to Vienna. Considering there was a nation on the line, they'd have agents looking for him everywhere. But for the first time in a while, people weren't looking for Alek anymore. He was the only one who could walk among the commoners without giving something away. He took some money that Prince Karl gave him and simply marched off towards town.

It all depended on whether or not he could keep his disguise this time. Thanks to Deryn, he felt like he could keep a secret a little better now. But he still found himself wishing that he at least had a Loris to keep an eye out for him. This was the first time he was truly on his own, and that thought made him sink his head a little deeper into his leather coat.

The only trouble now was that he didn't exactly know where he was going. He had no idea where butchery was but he supposed that asking someone did not pose too much risk. He soon found a runabout operator who was shuffling people onboard from the sidewalk.

"Sir?" he asked lightly. "Is there a butchery shop around here close by?" The round man coughed a bit and nodded his head.

"Two blocks that way," He wheezed and pointed down the same road. "Keep to your right and you'll find it."

"Thank you sir," he said and simply marched off. _See? That was easy,_ he thought. If he could pull off the same trick with the butcher, then the hardest part of the whole endeavor would be carrying back 100 pounds of meat to the estate. Multiple trips were in order, or else he'd have to buy a small runabout. The small cruiser they had at the estate had the Hapsburg seal all over it and they didn't have time to buy anything cheep. All the means of transportation they had available to them was useless so for the rest of the day, Alek was reduced to a mule.

The butcher gave him a fair deal. He ordered 100 pounds of fresh beef and remembered to make a big deal of counting out each Krone. Normally Alek would have slapped down a huge load of gold and asked something like "Will this cover it?" It was Deryn who instructed him to act a little stingier with money because it doesn't give away his "royal-bumragness". As the butcher began packing huge chunks of meat, he began wondering about her yet again.

She was on his mind a lot since they parted in the Alps. They never had the chance to really say goodbye like he wanted to, but he supposed that might have made him feel like he wouldn't see her again. Instead, he felt like they both had jobs to do, and they'd see each other when they were finished. It was all very professional. But deep down he knew that what he had with Deryn was everything but professional.

He soon found himself picturing what it would be like bringing her to Vienna. He would show her the palace and walk her through the nicer districts. He'd take her over the bridges that crossed the river and compare them to the ones in London. She'd point out all the horrible flaws of the machines around her and suggest a fabricated animal that would function better. He imagined what life would be like with her if they were not being chased. No war, no hiding, no running, and no disguises. In peacetime, they could travel everywhere freely and actually enjoy the places they went. She wouldn't even have to pretend to be a boy.

Another thought came to him. That gold bar they found in the Alps! That would afford them some land with a house on the outskirts of London. On second thought, that one gold bar was worth much more than just that. They could even get their own small airship with that kind of money. Nothing like the Leviathan of course, but if American like Mr. Hearst could afford a giant one of his own then perhaps they could get _some_ sort of flying beast. Maybe even one of those jellyfish hydrogen-breathers that Deryn would ride on the _Leviathan_, even though they disgusted him. Anything to get her in the air. Since they're on good terms with the Zoological society, it wouldn't be so hard to do. Alek was utterly lost in his dream that he didn't even notice the butcher snapping his fingers at him.

"Shisse boy, pay attention!" he barked and Alek scrambled. He began stuffing packages of meat into a large twine bag. As he shoveled meat, he noticed something on the edge of the butcher's counter. A newspaper that had a picture of the Royal Palace on the front was sitting underneath packing-paper.

"Do you mind if I take a look?" he asked and gestured to the paper.

"For an order this large, you can have it boy. I've read it already anyway." He said and scooped up the paper and shoved it into Alek's hands.

"Thank you sir. I'll be back to collect another load in a short while," he said and turned out the door. With one arm he slung the heavy bag of raw meat over his left shoulder. He unfolded the front page of the paper in his other hand read the headline. Alek froze.

**EMPREROR FRANZ JOSEPH DEAD! GENERAL SUMMIT TO STEWARD UNTIL HEIR IS CROWNED**

He held his breath for another moment, reading the headline over a few times more. He decided that from that point on, he would read newspapers more often. He stuffed the paper in his jacket pocket, took the sac of meat with both hands, and began hobbling towards the estate as fast as he could.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

This kind of flying was something else entirely. Her days aboard the _Leviathan_ had engrained a vision of flying as peaceful and gentle. There were certainly times where flying was anything but peaceful, like that storm she and Alek were caught in over the Pacific, but most of the time the enjoyable parts of flying were graceful and beautiful.

This _Hellfire_ plane was violent. The engines continued to roar at a constant deafening level. The seat she was on was uncomfortable and shook constantly. She managed to find a pair of goggles from underneath her feet, but still the wind was unbearable. The thick and pleasant breeze she was used to was replaced by a horrible blast of freezing air. Her face grew numb within the first hour. The plane would also take unexpected dips that made her stomach jump. Each cloud they flew into was bumpy and almost nauseating.

But despite all of that, Deryn still found herself smiling. This kind of flying was exciting. The earth rolled underneath her much faster than she ever experienced before. The world seemed to lunge sideways on each turn. Instead of floating like a balloon, this was more like soaring like a bird of prey. It took hours for the thrill to pass, but once it did, Deryn began longing for ground again. She was cold and tired and the night was still very young when they took off. And above all, that horrible machine gun was still there.

She had grabbed the weapon and began firing without a second thought to the soldiers she was firing at. While she was certainly an experienced soldier, she still had never fired a gun at anybody in her life. She had seen what it looks like to be at the other end of a gun before and she wouldn't wish that on anyone. Despite that she grabbed the machine gun and let it rip without blinking. She did not want to look at it anymore, yet it was always there as a constant reminder of how easily she snapped.

As the night continued, she began to dose with Bovril in her arms for warmth. The Loris did not seem to enjoy the flight at all. He stayed on her lap out of the wind for the night. After a certain point, Bovril began shaking nervously. She woke up with a start and peered around nervously. She looked behind her at Shauder who was also wearing a pair of goggles along with a set of odd-looking earmuffs. She looked closer and noticed that they had wires running to the earpieces. He noticed her and gestured to his headphones and then down to his seat. Deryn turned around and began searching through her seat for a similar set. After a moment of blinding fumbling around in the dark, her hands felt a set of headphones, which she promptly strapped on. After a moment of static, she heard Shauder's unmistakably odd voice.

"Guten Morgen. We're still over Germany. I've had to head to Hamburg before turning South towards Vienna because of _those,_" he said through the headphones. She looked back at him again and he was pointing to starboard with his left hand. She followed his point and looked at the horizon line. It was still very dark, and only a little moonlight creaked through the clouds, but the silhouette in front of her was unmistakable. A huge black mass blocked the setting moon in the shape of a giant zeppelin.

"Blisters," she cursed.

"That's the third one we've passed so far. Thanks to the cross on our plane, they haven't bothered us. But they have increased our travel time by a few hours. I'm avoiding all major cities so that no one gets suspicious," he said and chimed out.

"Do we have the fuel for that?" She said once. He said nothing back. After a moment, she fumbled with her ears and found the microphone piece that was positioned above her head. She pulled it down and repeated herself sheepishly.

"Thankfully the tanks on _Hellfires _are designed for longer trips. We'll have enough for Vienna but no more than that. We should be there by sunrise," he said and became quiet again.

_Blisters, how long have I been asleep?_ She thought. She guessed it had been a few hours, but turns out it was for the better part of the night. The sun would be coming up soon, and they'd need to find a spot in Vienna to land.

"I take it you have somewhere in mind?" she asked. A moment of silence followed as Shauder pondered her inquiry.

"We cannot land too close to the capital, otherwise a German agent might find it odd that their plane has returned with a different crew. We have an airstrip at Prince Karl's private estate, but that would be the first place I would look for him if I were a German."

"So where exactly do you plan on landing this thing? Perfectly flat land is hard to come by in a city as big as Vienna."

"We'll go to his father's old home. That estate was left to him a few years ago and he hasn't used it since."

"Wouldn't German's try there as well?"

"It is our best option."

That did not inspire any confidence. But what concerned Deryn wasn't exactly where they were going to land, but what they were going to do once they did. They needed to find a wireless com unit somewhere and pray that they could get in touch with Alek before they flew headfirst into a German trap. If that did not work, she would wait at the gate of the Palace if she had to. Alek had to be warned so at that moment, everything hinged on getting to him before someone else did.

Another hour and a half flew by while they were sputtering through the air. The sun eased up on their left with the same brilliant magnifisance that it always had when she flew. A few radiant rays of warmth met her face as it rose. Any other time it would simply feel like sun, but to her icy face it was the warmest of blankets. She cradled Bovril a little closer to keep him warm as well. He stirred a little bit and barked something she couldn't hear over the engines. He must have fallen asleep a while ago.

"There!" she heard through her earphones, "you see that clearing through the trees?" She peered downward. Sure enough, another strip of dirt was sitting straight in front of them about a mile in front of them. Beside it was a large iron shed that she guessed was the hangar and opposite that was the estate. From that distance, it looked about the same as the one they had left behind earlier that night, only a bit smaller.

Out of nowhere, the roar of the engines grinded to a halt and the air became oddly still. The wind in her face continued to howl, but her seat stopped vibrating. She grabbed the harness strapped around her and gave Shauder a paniced look.

"We don't want anyone inside to hear us come in," Shauder said on the mic.

"Can you even barking la—", she began before her stomach came upwards as the plane dove. Gravity returned after a moment and the plane pointed directly at the landing strip once more. That was comforting to know that Shauder had things under control. But the bugger could have given her a fair warning that he was going to do that. She had an excellent head for heights and a mastery of air-sense, but when the engines die and the ground starts rising, there is cause for concern.

They gracefully swung down underneath the tree line and the wheel's touched the ground with puff, kicking dirt into the air. After another moment of horrible shaking on the ground, the plane came to a silent stop a few meters away from the Hangar.

Deryn ripped off her headphones and took hold of Bovril. She pulled herself out of her turret hole and leaped out of the plane. The ground felt hard and unforgiving as her feet made contact. Bovril climbed up to her shoulder and she pulled out her sidearm. She looked back and Shauder was struggling to get out of the cockpit with his false arm and leg. She decided to check the hangar while the Clanker sorted himself out. She began trotting towards the metal barn when Bovril began whispering to her. Something he said made her stop.

"Capitoline," he said in the Boffin's posh accent. She stopped and glared at him.

"Do you hear it?" she asked. The Loris simply stared at the hangar in front of them and gave a small growl. She turned back to the large metal door in front of her and pulled the doors open a squick. Through the smallest crack in the doors, she could see that same white mass of fur that she grew so accustomed to in the countryside of France. The beast was sleeping soundly with its head up against the closest iron wall. The hangar probably felt just like the cage it was used to back in London.

"They're here!" she shouted back towards Shauder and put her sidearm away. Oh how that beast was a site for sore eyes. Perhaps Alek and Jaspert were sleeping in the house at this very moment, she thought. Her daydreams were cut short when she looked back at Shauder, who was standing perfectly still with his hands in the air, facing the house. Deryn followed his gaze and saw a small pistol pointing directly at him from an open door to the house. Her hands immediately went to her sidearm and she ducked behind the plane for shelter. Her feet were still exposed underneath the plane so her position was given away. She would have to keep very still or else Shauder would get shot before she could even get a good look at the shooter.

She then felt a horrible feeling of weight being lifted off of her shoulders.

"Bovril!" she hissed. The Loris climbed up to the top of the _Hellfire_ in plane view of the gunman. She looked up and saw it stare right at the gunman. The gunman might think he is just a squirrel and may not pay him attention. But if Bovril spoke, he would certainly attract attention. She would have to start shooting then before he did. "Bovril, you get back down here now!" she whispered sharply from her position. He seemed to ignore her and continued to gaze at the gunman. She prepared herself to fire just before the Loris spoke.

"Appologies Mr. Sharp," Bovril cracked. "This is daft princly business." She froze where she stood.

"Jaspert?" She called out. "Jaspert if that is you, do not make me shoot you please."

"Deryn?" she faintly heard from the doorway. She peaked her head above the feuselage and saw her brother holding Alek's sidearm pistol right at Shauder. "Deryn! What in blazes?" She gave out a huff and walked around the plane.

"That is the second time I almost had to shoot you this month," she said and put a hand on Shauder's shoulder. He looked about the two of them quite confused.

"Excuse me but I'm the one with the gun in my hand this time," he said holstering it.

"I take it you are familiar with this boy?" Shauder said rather shaken.

"My bro—uh, cousin in the airservice, Jaspert," She said introducing the two of them. "He's the one who went with Alek and Prince Karl on the Capitoline."

"The giant white tiger, yes? I fail to see any massive white beast," Shauder said lowering his hands.

"She's in the hangar," Jaspert said walking down towards them.

"Mr. Sharp, where are the princes?" Bovril cracked again.

"Well look at you Bovril! Thanks for speaking up because I was about to shoot this Clanker. You just missed the princes actually. They left for the Palace a few minutes ago," he said.

"What!?" Deryn cried out. "You just let them go?"

"Hey now, take it easy _Dylan_,_" _he spat at her. "Someone has got to make sure the Capitoline doesn't run amok in Vienna. They took that royal-looking walker contraption and headed into town. They had to go this morning because of the papers."

"What in blazes are you talking about?" she asked.

"The paper yesterday said that Emperor whats-his-name died in Germany two days ago and that the generals are meeting at the palace today to discuss a military stewardship until the heir is crowned." Deryn took a second to process what he just said. Shauder was the next to speak up.

"So they made his death public? Why would they do that with Prince Karl still alive?"

"Because they're going to kill him." She heard from the ground. Bovril had scuttled off of the plane and stood by her feet looking quizzically at the three of them. Everyone became silent and looked at him intensely.

" . . . of course," she said aloud. "They know that if the generals are put in power, they'll continue the war effort as best they can! This will force Prince Karl to come out of hiding at present himself as the heir!"

"Isn't that a good thing though? I mean, that is why we came all the way over here right? To get that barking Prince crowned?" Jaspert asked.

"The Germans have infiltrated the Palace," Shauder said. "That's how we came upon this plane. They were looking for this declaration, and were going to head back to the palace afterward. Chances are that they have multiple agents disguised as servants or statesmen or even guards."

"This is their trap and the announcement of the emperor's death is the bait, which Alek and Prince Karl are taking like a worm on a hook!" Deryn said. "They will kill them both before they even get close to the palace!"

"Not likely," Shauder cut her off. "They can't afford to risk people witnessing the assassination, otherwise the generals summit will learn of their treason. If they make it to the palace gates in a royal-runabout, then they'll escort the princes inside and then dispose of them behind closed doors. No one will even know they arrived in the first place."

The air grew silent after Shauder finished. Deryn's head was buzzing with images of Alek getting torn apart by bullets or silently stabbed in his back. Like Shauder said, no one will know that he was there.

"How long ago did you say they left?" she asked.

"About 20 minutes ago," he said back.

_Blisters,_ she cursed herself for being late. They wouldn't be able to stop them from reaching the palace in time. They had only one other option before them, and she did not like it.

"Shauder, how well do you know the palace?" she asked him. He shot her a puzzled look and slowly answered.

"I've seen the inside twice before, but I worked in the servants quarters the entire time helping to serve dinner," he said.

"Do you have that declaration?"

"Yes?" he said still puzzled.

She took a deep breath and looked at Bovril for re-assurance. The Loris stared at her and breathed with her for a moment.

"Lets go," Bovril said simply and climbed up her shoulder once again. That was really all she needed to hear.

* * *

**A/N:** Next time, the palace! if you see something you find questionable, let me know and I'll try to fix it.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Royal runabout walkers were easy enough handle. They had four large legs instead of two. That made the ride in the cabin a little smoother. Its armored casing was military grade of course, but the view ports were visible from every angle around the main cabin. It was not designed to be deflecting bullets or shrapnel. It was more of a touring walker that royals would ride in to observe the city around them. Its fuel tanks were tiny but the engines were small so there was no worry about running out. Alek remembered how he once joked with his father the first time he saw one. It looked like a headless and tailless dog to him, and that made his father chuckle. The runabout was bigger than the Capitoline but miles slower. Alek supposed he could get out and run faster than its top speed. Alek then hoped that would not be necessary.

Despite their predicament, Alek was positively beaming for the first time in a while. The last proper walker he had piloted was in Istanbul during the revolution. Since then, he had either worked with the _Levithan's_ engines or Mr. Telsa's apocalyptic contraption, neither of which felt the same. His hands gripped a pair of saunters and his feet were strapped into another pair for the rear legs. The mechanics slid back and forth with a satisfying sound of well-oiled machinery at work. The road before him was not crowded in the slightest as well, so he could thoroughly enjoy this wonderful walker.

"It is good to know that you still have plenty of Clanker left in you," he heard Prince Karl hail from the cabin window behind him. He was dressed in his father's royal combat uniform with golden stripes across his chest and a Hapsburg crest proudly displayed below his shoulder. The cabin was daintily decorated with fine velvet seats and crimson carpet. The pilot's chair was less than comfortable of course, but it still felt natural to Alek who was strapped in tightly.

"It feels wonderful!" he hailed back. "We should be at the palace in a few minutes."

"I don't remember it taking this long to get to the palace in the past," Prince Karl said.

"I've been taking it rather slowly I suppose. I've never piloted a royal runabout before, so rushing things could be a bit risky. Crashing a walker will not make either of us look qualified to enter the Palace."

"You words are not inspiring confidence your serene highness." Alek winced a bit at the mention of his former title. He had relinquished his claim to the thrown and made that public in New York months ago. There was not much of a chance that they were going to let Aleksander von Hohenburg into the royal palace after something like that. So instead, Alek was Prince Karl's personal assistant for the day. There is no need for a name from a pilot of a runabout walker. As for inspiring confidence in his piloting skills, Alek turned and spoke through the pilot's window into the cabin.

"Don't worry Prince Karl. Master Otto Klopp trained me in runabouts, Cyclop Stormwalkers, and even Iron golems. I know how to operate a walker better than your average Hohenburg," he said with a proud glint in his eye. It was true he was good with a walker, but he was still a bit rusty, so the extra precaution was necessary.

Their plan was relatively simple. Get the walker to the front doors of the Hofburg Palace, march in, and declare Prince Karl the new rightful heir. _After_ that they could mention the German treason. The plan was so simple it was idiotic. There was no way everything was going to be that easy. But they were out of other options and this was the fastest way to get the war to end. Alek would just have to be ready to improvise, if need be.

"I see," Prince Karl responded after a while. "I'm sorry to doubt you, Prince Aleksander. But still I wish I had that blasted coin in my pocket."

"What coin?" Alek pondered. He thought back for a moment if Prince Karl had mentioned it earlier when he remembered the trinket he gave to Deryn before leaving the Alps. "You mean that one you gave to Dylan for Shauder?"

"That's the one, yes," he said solemnly.

"Do you mind if I ask what that is for, your highness?" Alek asked. Prince Karl gave a sigh and answered.

"It's really just a silver Krone," he began. "I once found it on the ground outside our estate years ago and gave it to Shauder as a joke. I had never paid him at all for his services because his payment was to be given to him when his service to me was relinquished. After giving it to him, he narrowly survived a terrible walker crash later that same day. He said it was the coin I gave him that kept him alive." Alek heard the man chuckle a little. "He said I should have it after then, and tossed it to me. I held on to it until a fire weeks later. I left a candle lit while reading in bed and it fell onto my curtains and caught fire. By the time I escaped and the fire was extinguished, the entire bed was a charred mess. I have no clue how on earth the fire did not touch my skin."

"So you both narrowly dodged death? Where was the Krone then?" Alek asked.

"I was using the coin as a bookmark! That episode made a believer out of me. It kept both of us lucky over the past couple of years. Whenever one of us needed a bit of luck for something, we would toss the coin from one another. Whoever had it always stayed alive," Prince Karl continued.

"But you're both still alive," Alek said.

"Indeed, but I at least am in one piece. During one of our flights to Milan, Shauder tossed the coin to me as we headed into foul weather. The storm passed quickly, but it damaged our landing gear without us knowing. We flew the rest of the way there thinking that all was well. The accident happened when we landed. The wheel broke of as we touched the ground and the entire plane flipped over and burst into flames."

"God's wounds!" Alek said. The image of being trapped in a metal tomb engulfed in flames was too horrifying to picture for him. "How did you survive?"

"I was flung from the wreckage before the fire started. A bit of shrapnel had flung itself at me and bounced right off. It hit the Krone in my pocket and left a large gash on one side. I ended up with a twisted anckle and a massive headache but nothing I couldn't recover from. ," he said quietly.

"And Shauder?"

"He was less fortunate. A large slab of aluminum severed most of his left leg and his right forarm was too burned to recover so it was amputated."

This made Alek go very silent. He continued to move the walker forward but at a snail's pace. He pictured a man with only half his limbs currently helping Deryn with finding the declaration she set out for. That hardly seemed helpful to her cause, but what astounded Alek was that Prince Karl kept him in his service after an injury like that.

"I asked him to leave with his payment after that but he refused. He said he wanted to stay if he could. I'll admit that I wanted him to stay as well. After dodging death as many times as we had together, we grew quite fond of eachother. I had some mechanics work up some prosthetics for him and he is functional again. To this day he is still the best pilot in Vienna."

"He was your pilot?" Alek asked astonished.

"He is still my pilot and he is the best out there. I gave him the coin to give him luck for his recovery after the accident. He held on to it until a few weeks ago. He gave me the coin as we were fleeing the militants who raided us in the Netherlands. Once Mr. Sharp shows him that Krone, he'll do whatever she says. Now that he's got it, he'll make it his mission to get it back to me somehow," he finished.

Alek gave a reassuring _hmm_, and picked up the pace a bit. He was now maneuvering streets with artful precision. There were a few other small walkers in front of him and he passed a horse-drawn carriage at one point. However, his focus was not on the streets. _Having a bit of luck wouldn't hurt,_ Alek thought. _But if Shauder has that coin, that means Deryn will be safer as well._ Alek felt better rembmering that providence was guiding him once again. It was not by pure chance that Prince Karl was marooned on the same castle that Alek was supposed to be living in. It was not coincience that they had all survived this long through all those deadly accidents and battles that could have taken their lives long ago. Alek was there to do something and he was determined to do what he could to stop this horrible war, whether his family started it or not. Having providence act through a coin

Alek took a right turn and gazed upon a familiar sight. The buildings stopped and a large open lawn with fresh cut grass lay in front of him. A fountain stood in the center of the lawn and many meters behind that was their destination. He saw the crescent-shaped building and the statue of Prince Eugene of Savoy proudly riding his valiant steed. The last time he had seen that statue was when he was only a small boy who wanted to see the Empire he would one day rule.

"We're here," he said behind him and set the walker towards the main entrance.

* * *

**A/N:** Felt like this deserved its own chapter. No need to wait for the next one! its already out.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Hofburg Palace was certainly a site to behold. The entire building took up 6 blocks worth of land in the middle of the city just south of the river. Over the years, wings were added with the addition of new rulers and governances. From the main courtyard, they were surrounded by the palace completely with no sight of the rest of Vienna. The building they faced was in the shape of a giant crescent angled towards them. The granite mass loomed overhead 6 or 7 stories above them and seemed to embrace them as they came closer. Statues of former rulers lined the sides which stood underneath massive marble pillars. On the roof, a two-headed eagle emblazoned in gold soared below a waving flag of the Austrian Empire.

To get to the main entrance, they crossed over the _Heldenplatz_, which was the main outer plaza that faced the entrance. The entire plaza was new and built under Alek's granduncle's reign. Alek remembered visiting when it was still under construction. His father told him that it was going to be the Imperial Forum someday, on which the most powerful men on earth would walk. It was still incomplete but the grounds looked just as grand and as regal as he remembered.

Alek also knew that underneath all of that regal grandeur were defenses ready for an entire army. Anti-aircraft cannons were mounted on the rooftops out of site. Behind every third or so window was a small machine-gun turret mounted in disguise as a balcony. At the entrance there were armed men at either side of the main door and more at the bottom of the stairs. This was all standard wartime security and Alek knew full well what they were capable of. But something else was present that Alek did not foresee. A Cyclop Flagship Walker was posted at the base of the entrance, faced outwards. It had a large cannon in its belly that made Alek nervous. In order to enter the main entrance, Alek would have to park the walker between the giant staircase that led to the doors and the giant Stormwalker that dwarfed his runabout in almost every way. A thought then occurred to him. _That walker was called from the front lines to protect the Capital. _Alek remembered seeing all of those walkers marching back towards Vienna while they were still moving through Austria on the Capitoline. _What on earth are they doing here?_

Alek tried to be inconspicuous with his driving as he brought the walker between the stairs and the Stormwalker. He remembered that the runabout had the Hapsburg seal on the sides and so any warrant officer who addressed them would be expecting royalty. However, no one would be expecting Prince Karl. He had not been heard from in weeks. Turning up out of the blue would require some explaining. Alek remembered that he was in disguise again, and had to appear official enough to be allowed to follow Prince Karl in, but no so much that he would be recognized. He was famous from the papers after all. While he doubted that the officers from the palace read the _New York World_, news of his travels and dealings with Mr. Tesla would certainly find their way here at some point.

He slowed the saunters until the walker came to a complete stop and the engines idled. The legs began to lower as he released knee pressure and the whole cabin drifted gently towards the ground. He quickly undid the straps around him and entered into the main cabin through a porthole in the back. Prince Karl was standing as tall as ever facing the main hatch. Alek put his hands on the main release for the hatch, but stopped to glance at Prince Karl, who simply gave him a slight nod. Alek released the hatch and the metal door swung outwards with a hiss of pneumatic pressure.

Two soldiers acting as valets caught the door and guided it to the ground slowly. They propped up the stairs and stood beside the entrance, waiting for Prince Karl to exit. They both stepped out of the walker and were greeted by a soldier in an officer's uniform. Alek noticed that the helmet he was wearing was one from a Lancer Regiment. It was similar to Count Volger's battle helmet in shape, but this one was red on the top instead of gold. The officer stepped lively over to the both of them and smartly bowed, then saluted. After all of his time aboard the _Leviathan_ saluting soldiers, he almost returned the gesture out of reflex. He remembered that royalty and their closest subjects were not part of the military and had no obligation to solute back. Prince Karl then began to speak slowly.

"My name is Karl Franz Joseph von Hapsburg. Where are the Generals meeting today?" he asked the officer. Alek noticed that the man's eyes seemed to widen at the mention of his name.

"In the Silberkammer Treasury, you serene highness," the officer responded. "If you will accompany me?" he said and gestured towards the main doors.

"Very good," Prince Karl answered, "and would you take my walker as well? I'm afraid my personal staff is short-handed so I needed my personal assistant to pilot it for me," he said with a nod in Alek's direction. The man gave a swift nod and motioned for the soldiers who helped them off the walker. They both climbed in and shut the door behind them. Alek began to follow Prince Karl up the stairs when the runabout began to move from behind him. _No turning back now_, he thought.

The Lancer Officer led them through the main doors and into the Neue Hofburg hall. The ceiling was in a massive white dome overhead and the walls were spackled with gold trimmings and décor. Solid white marble constituted the walls, the floors, and almost every other inch of their surroundings. Prince Karl's boots made a clicking sound that echoed in the halls with each stride. No one else was in sight in either direction of the massive white hallway. They followed the officer down the great hall towards the library, if Alek remembered correctly. The Treasury would be on the other side.

They soon were led through the library. There were walls upon walls of books in all directions lined with magnificent windows that faced the east and west, letting in ample sunlight. They marched straight though without a word. The officer in front of them was completely silent and marched with a disciplined click in his stride. On the other side of the library was another door that was guarded by another man with a ceremonial saber and a grenadier's pistol. The guard saluted and nodded to the officer, who opened the door and let them into a smaller hallway that led to the treasury. How odd, Alek thought, that the walls could go from so grand and spacious to so tight and simple. This newer hallway was lined with white marble and a red velvet carpet that muffled the sounds of their footsteps.

Then something odd happened. The second soldier guarding the door followed the three of them. They all walked in single-file down the narrow hallway in a lively march, but the soldier behind Alek seemed to be getting closer. Alek then heard the door shut behind him and suddenly he felt on edge. Something was not right.

"Excuse me Commander," Prince Karl spoke up. The Lancer Commander stopped in his stride and turned to face Prince Karl with a salute yet again.

"Yes your serene highness?" he asked back. They were in the dead center of the hallway now and the soldier behind Alek was less than a meter behind him.

"Forgive me for asking, but are common citizens permitted to walk the halls of the Emperor's home?" Prince Karl asked calmly. His tone was low and simple, like a teacher asking a rhetorical question to a pupil.

"No, your majesty," the officer responded.

"Yet you have allowed my servant here to enter without question," he pointed out. Alek remembered that he was pretending to be normal again. Outside of the military and royal family, anyone who entered the Palace needed explicit permission from the Emperor.

"As a member of the royal guard for Emperor Frans Joseph, you would know this already," Prince Karl pointed out. "Which means that led me and him here together on purpose."

Alek's heart began racing. Why on earth would an officer of the royal guard make that mistake? And why did the presence of the other soldier behind him suddenly feel so threatening? And why was Prince Karl so _calm?_

"So there are two possibilities. Either you are a decorated royal officer who will be tried for treason, or you knew all along whom my assistant really is," he said softly. Alek thought this was ridiculous for a moment, but then realized that the officer was not saying anything in his defense. He just stood there with a dark expression on his face. Alek tried his best to remain as collective as he could. He very slowly inched his left foot forward and began turning his right foot sideways, taking a slow but proper fencing stance.

". . . and the only way you could know that is if you were a—"

_German,_ Alek finished in his head and lunged backwards. He took his left elbow and mashed it hard into the stomach of the unprepared soldier behind him. The soldier gave out a cough in agony and began reeling backwards. A millisecond later, he skillfully jammed his left heel on the man's toes and simultaneously reached for the saber with his right hand. In one smooth motion the soldier fell backwards, unsheathing the sword with a soft _slink_, and Alek lunged forward. The officer was already pulling out his pistol and was pointing it up towards Prince Karl's chest. Alek brought the saber in an upward slash, which caught the officer's hand just before he could pull the trigger.

The officer let out a gasp in pain and the pistol flew through the air past them. It hit the ground with a clink and Alek brought the blade to the man's throat. In less than 3 seconds, Alek had disarmed two men using nothing but instinct. He needed to remember to thank Volger someday.

"Excellent form, Prince Aleksander," Prince Karl said softly from behind him.

"I'm beginning to think that you are never worried about anything, Prince Karl," he responded and narrowed his gaze at the officer. He heard the soldier groaning on the ground behind them. He would be up in a matter of moments so Alek's next move would have to come quickly. "On the ground," Alek ordered without shouting. If the General's heard them, they would open the treasury doors to find two banished princes with a sword at an officer's throat. The man clutched at his hand in pain for a moment, and then obliged, planting himself face down on the floor. "After you, Prince Karl," Alek said.

They both began inching around the soldiers on the ground and backed away from them slowly. Alek kept his eyes on the men on the ground as he backpedaled, keeping his fencing form strong. After they were a distance away, Alek saw the soldier look up from the ground, and then put his face back towards the ground. Alek found it odd that they weren't getting up to follow them. Alek then turned towards the treasury doors to find four guards blocking their path, each with a pistol pointed in their direction.

Alek stopped and clutched his saber tightly. Each soldier was too far away to reach with his saber. Even if he threw it, he would be shot before it got to them. The two disarmed men behind them were now too far away to use as hostages. Considering the gravity of the situation, Alek doubted that hostages would stop them from shooting anyway. The only thing Alek could do was position himself right in between the gunmen and the prince with his saber at the ready. No matter how dire his chances were, he would hold his perfect stance for as long as he could. He was about to tell Prince Karl to run for it when another odd thing happened.

The two guards on the outside turned inward and jammed their fists deep into the guts of the remaining two men. The soldiers reeled in pain and began struggling for their weapons. Alek then lost track of which guard was which as two of them were forced to the ground. After a certain point, both guards that were on the ground were relieved of their weapons and suddenly had two pistols pointed at their faces. Alek observed the two guards who had won the scuffle and decided to charge them while their focus was elsewhere. If he could punch a hole though those men, Prince Karl could run through them and make for the treasury doors. He began to step forward.

"Easy there, your princliness. Point that thing somewhere else," a familiar voice said. Alek couldn't believe his ears. One of the figures stood and faced him, displaying a cheeky smile on her face.

"D—Dylan?" he fumbled and lowered his saber. He looked over to the other guard standing next to her.

"No time to chat, get that prince in there now," the voice of Jaspert Sharp spat. Sure enough, the second guard was Jaspert, dressed from head to toe in a poorly fitted Royal Guard uniform. The two of them were crouched over their opponents who lay motionless on the ground. Deryn, who was even more poorly outfitted, was making shushing noises to their protests. Alek had to fight the urge to ask how and why they were here and simply turned to Prince Karl.

"Your highness," he said and motioned towards the doors at the end of the hall. Without another word, Prince Karl marched forward towards the treasury, completely ignoring the soldiers on the ground around him. He made his way to the doors and pressed his ear against it. After apparently being satisfied that the generals were unaware of their struggle, he opened both doors and marched in.

* * *

**A/N:** The second of two chapters at once! here you go, enjoy.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Alek took one of the pistols out of Deryn's hand and pointed it back at the other two men who were still on the floor a short distance away. He knew he couldn't fire it given that it would alert the generals inside the treasury, but the gun would help keep the German agents in line for the time being. He caught both of their eyes and motioned for them to stay on the ground with his gun. After a moment of quiet, Alek could here squabbles coming from the treasury doors.

He wanted to know how she got here. He wanted to know how she got dressed in that ridiculous uniform and how she snuck into the palace with her brother. He wanted to know what happened after they parted in the mountains. He wanted to know so much, but all he could think to ask was,

"Where is Shauder?"

Jaspert was the one to answer.

"He's making sure that giant Stormwalker does not fire a round through the treasury window," he said and buried the nose of his gun into his captive's neck. Alek heard the guard swear with a hiss. Deryn spoke next.

"Turns out, that particular walker was their fail safe. If they didn't seize the throne quietly, they were going to take it violently. With all of the generals in one place, it would've been easy to do. Whatever story they told the people then wouldn't matter since everyone in authority would be dead."

"How did you know all of this?" Alek had to ask.

"Shauder deduced it as soon as we got here. He took one look at that big canon-with-legs and knew what was going on. He's a clever sticky-beak, that one," Jaspert said. Alek kept his gaze fixed on his own two captives while he pieced the story together. The two men who followed him inside were certainly German spies. The two men that Jaspert and Deryn had pumbled were likely the same. So where did they get those uniforms? Alek began to ponder aloud.

"So you two took the uniforms off of those two soldiers who parked my runabout?" he suggested.

"Aye. We jumped the buggers and left them in your walker locked up in their britches. That's when these two called out to us and told us to follow. They started shouting about the princes and a plan and we needed to hurry. We simply followed them here and turned their plan on itself. The idiots were in such a hurry, they didn't even notice who we were!" Deryn said and smirked at her captive. "Be a little more observant next time," she said in German to the soldier on the ground.

"_Shissekopf_!" the man hissed and Deryn gave him a whack with the butt of her pistol. He gave out a groan and covered his head with his hands, rubbing it tenderly. Alek was astonished by her story. If that was true, then they had been helping him since he had arrived, and without being noticed by _anyone._ Deryn certainly mastered disguise and subterfuge if she was able to pull that off. He even had to hand it to Jaspert, who had no idea what was happening since he did not speak a word of German. All of the pieces were fitting together, say for two.

"Where is Bovril, and where is the declaration?" Alek asked seriously.

"The Loris is our ears right now," Jaspert said.

"I told him to keep an eye on the Prince inside the treasury. If things start to get sticky in there, I told him to whistle for glowworms so we'll know. I've got the declaration right here," she said and patted her chest pocket.

Alek pictured the Loris watching the generals and Prince Karl from a hiding spot in the treasury. His little eyes would be sweeping the room for danger, being as perspicacious as ever. Knowing him, he was enjoying the posh voices of Clanker military men very much and was probably digesting a few new words as well. Alek hoped with all his heart that Bovril had the sense to know when things were getting out of hand. But if all went according to plan, he would not need to. What bothered Alek most was that the most important conversation in all of Europe was happening right behind those doors and he could not hear a thing.

"I need to get in there," Alek said after another moment of silence. "That declaration will justify everything."

"Alright but what about these buggers?" Deryn asked.

"You wanna line'em up outside and shoot'em?" Jaspert asked lightly.

"Oh that would look just great for us," Deryn jested. "Four dead guards and two English airmen? I'd reckon they might find that a wee bit suspicious _Jaspert_!" she snapped at him for being so foolish.

"Ok then, should we wait for Shauder to show up?" Jaspert offered.

"We're not even sure where he is or if he's even on his way," Deryn retorted. She was right. Shauder might be tied down at the present moment so they couldn't depend on him right now. Alek was not about to let Deryn and Jaspert watch four men alone. But he needed to help Prince Karl anyway he could. These agents presented an unwanted complication that he did not foresee. It would be so much simpler if they were not there. Alek's thoughts drifted for a moment to the men he _had_ killed. There was the Austrian soldier who mistook him for a common boy when they were fleeing to Switzerland. There were countless others that he could be responsible for during the ottoman revolution in Istanbul, and of course there was Mr. Tesla. Alek held the gun in his hand a little tighter. There was not much of a difference between those situations, and the one he was in now. But something about even pointing a gun at unarmed men horrified him. He couldn't even imagine pulling the trigger, even given the circumstances.

A thought then occurred to him.

"You two," he called out in German. "What are your names?" The officer and the soldier he was holding captive looked at each other, and remained silent. After a short moment of silence, he called out again. "What are your names?" Another moment of silence followed.

"Alek," Deryn began. "You're wasting your—"

"Aberled," Alek heard from the floor in front of him. ". . . and this is commander Friedrick Neumann." Apparently the soldier that had followed Alek in was speaking. Alek lowered his gun.

"Aberled," he began, "You were sent here to capture the Austrian throne, correct?" he asked. The one named Aberled looked up and slowly nodded his head. As Alek continued, he started marching towards the men on the ground.

"Prince Karl is in the treasury explaining how the Germans murdered my parents and started this bloody war. Tell me, do you have much hope for your mission?" he asked.

"_Alek_!" he heard Deryn hiss from behind him. She was speaking in a sharp whisper. "What are you doing?" It was unlike him to ignore her, but he needed to speak.

"Aberled?" he asked again, waiting for an answer. The soldier on the ground simply stayed perfectly still, glancing at his superior officer for help. Another agonizing moment of silence passed, before Aberled shook his head slowly.

"One more question, soldier," Alek said seriously. He was now within arms reach of the soldier on the ground. He bent his knees into a crouch to get closer and spoke softly. "What will become of you when they find out that you infiltrated the royal guard?"

"We will be hung," Commander Neumann said almost proudly, ". . . for treason and espionage. A fate we all knew awaited us should we fail."

"Indeed," he said back. "Aberled, it is an honorable thing to die for your country. But tell me this. If you went back to your commanding officer having failed this mission, what would they do?" Aberled began breathing heavily. He took a moment to keep his voice steady and kept his face on the ground as he replied.

"They told us that if we failed, we would be placed on the front lines with no weapons . . ." he said shakily, ". . . that we would make a wonderful example of the penalties of failure." The soldier was scared. He was practically shaking on the ground before Alek, who was still crouched over him. Alek let him catch his breath for another moment.

"Aberled, enough people have died for the sake of war." With that, Alek got to his feet and turned around towards Deryn and Jaspert. "Get them up," he said.

"What are you doing?" Jaspert asked, clearly having understood none of his conversation.

"We're letting them go," he said simply.

"Are you daft?" Deryn hissed again, this time without any patience at all.

"They'll report everything they saw here to their superiors! Or they'll just kill us when we're not ready for them!" Jaspert spat.

"Alek," Deryn began again before he cut her off.

"Please Dylan. For them, either way this ends, they die."

"They're soldiers. _We're_ soldiers! They were going to kill you before we showed up!" Jaspert began to raise his voice.

"I am no soldier, Jaspert, pretend as I might," Alek said and turned to Deryn. She looked back at him with a strange mix of confusion and doubt. Her eyes darted between him and the soldiers behind him. She was at war with herself, he could tell. She knew he wouldn't release them without her agreement, so Alek met her gaze as seriously as he could. "Please," he said softly. Her face softened, and she gave a smirk. She shook her head, as if to say 'oh to hell with it', and nodded towards him. Alek turned on his heel and raised his weapon again towards his own two captives. They were both on their feet know and looking directly at him.

"There is a royal runabout walker parked in loading garage," Alek told Commander Neumann. "Take your men and leave."

"Oh?" he asked in return ". . . and where do you suggest we go? We will be enemies of this nation and exiled from our own."

"Don't worry," Alek said back. "Exile is not that bad. Trust me," he said and turned again. He took a stance behind Jaspert and Deryn. They waited for him to get a safe distance behind them, and then they released their captives. Deryn kept her one pistol pointed directly at the four men in front of her. Jaspert held both of his weapons steady while maintaining a serious glare at his enemies. The four men began backing away from them slowly. They held a staring contest for what felt like minutes, before each man began to turn and run for the door on the opposite end of the hallway. Each sprinted out the door and into the library where they disappeared behind closed doors.

"That was idiotic," Jaspert said.

"Yes," Alek sighed. "You're probably right. But this way no shots needed to get fired, and right now they are not a problem." He turned to Deryn again. She still had her exasperated look on her face. "Lets go inside," he said and motioned for the treasury doors.

"What?" she asked astonished.

"I'll need escorts. That will at least make me _look_ royal again."

She grunted at his preposterousness and shook her head again. "When I asked you to take the lead, I forgot that you had cracked your head. You're still daft as ever," she said softly.

"Do you remember my full title?" He asked her.

"Um, yes I think. Why?" She responded.

"I need you to announce me once we get in."

"I thought you forfeited that title," Jaspert interjected.

"If you think it'll help, then alright." She said and holstered her weapon. Jaspert did the same and straightened out his uniform. He just smiled at her in response and began walking to the doors to the treasury. Alek still had no idea what he was going to say, but if he could help Prince Karl, then he had to. He reached the door and Deryn and Jaspert took hold of both door handles. Alek took a deep breath in through his nose. For a brief moment, he thought of Volger, and what he would say at a moment like this. He thought of Doctor Barlow and her mission to France. He thought of his men living in New York, about Lilit, Klopp, and his parents. In a split second, he thought of everyone he had come across over the past year who had helped him get to this spot. He felt nervous that he would let them all down somehow. The second he took to breath was full of dizzying anxiety and nerves. _How did he even get here?_ He thought.

Then Deryn looked back at him, as to ask if he was ready. He let his breath out calmly, feeling completely relieved. The answer to his question was standing before him, dressed in a poorly fitted guard uniform. He let the fact that she was really there beside him sink in and all of his nerves left him. He gave the both of them a nod, and they opened the doors and walked inside.

* * *

**A/N:** Happiest of greetings to my readers. I know it has been far too long since I wrote for this story, and if you are really concerned about it, PM me and I'll let you know why it happened. Needless to say, I don't like leaving you hanging and I'm trying to bring the story back. You get this today, another chapter tomorrow, and perhaps one or two more over the next week. Thank you all for reading and let me know what you think.

Best, and good to be back,

Johnsoneer


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Deryn stood as tall as she feasibly could to try and mask the fact that her uniform was two or three sizes too big for her. She confidently stepped into the treasury, followed smartly by Jaspert who was playing along wonderfully. Before her she could see Prince Karl with his back turned towards them. In front of him, a long table plated with polished copper took up most of the chamber. Seated at the grand table were a dozen or so men dressed from head to toe in medals, gold stripes, and military decorations. She did not give herself time to take in the surroundings yet, for that would have given her away. Instead, she stood and clapped her heels together and announced,

"His Serene Highness Aleksander Franz Ferdinand von Hohenburg," in as clear and proper German as she could announce. Whatever voices she had heard when she entered had already gone silent. All eyes in the room were sweeping over the three of them now. Even Prince Karl had turned and observed them. Moments went by of silent observance and Deryn grew a little nervous. Then one of the military men spoke.

"Well, this certainly became interesting," a general said from behind folded hands. The man to his left stood and pointed at Alek menacingly.

". . . and what on Earth does he want? What is he even doing in the palace? He has revoked his ties to the Austrian Empire!" he shouted angrily.

"Might I remind you that he only renounced his claim to the throne," another general said from the other side of the table. The angry general stared him down as if challenged. "He refused to become Emperor sure enough, but he is still of royal descent."

"He had abandoned Austria when he joined the Darwinists," said another general from the other end of the table. "He plotted to destroy entire cities with that Scientist in New York!"

"But he withdrew his support before the weapon was fired. He even helped stop Mr. Tesla from firing at Berlin, saving perhaps millions of Clanker lives. He is no traitor," another one said.

"He's no Clanker!" his neighbor said.

Within moments, the entire table ignited with shouts and accusations. Men began standing left and right and voices were rising higher and higher. Deryn fought the urge to defend Alek and instead kept her mouth silent. She took this opportunity to scan the walls for Bovril. The ceiling of the room went upwards like a small chapel and the walls were lined with bookshelves and tapestries. Mechanical shutters lined each tall window, letting in just enough sunlight to let everyone seen without electrical light. Deryn was astonished that a place so grand could actually be some man's house and not an official government building. But then again, that's what it was being used for wasn't it?

She couldn't find the Loris anywhere, but decided it was best to let him stay hidden for the time being. Right now there were more important things happening. Alek had stepped forward to stand by Prince Karl facing the marauding generals, who were now in a craze worse than hydrogen sniffers at the sound of a gunshot. She wondered why neither prince was saying anything in their defense, or said anything at all for that matter. She wondered how much of the story Prince Karl had relayed before Alek came in. She did not let herself worry about her disguise. Everyone's attention was on the princes anyway.

After a certain point, everyone was on their feet, shouting loudly at one another. Apparently Prince Karl had enough of it and stepped forward.

"Gentlemen," he said sternly, "I think Prince Aleksander can explain for himself why he is here." At his voice, the shouts darkened into quiet murmurs and solemn stares. Deryn observed Alek closely, who seemed to be biding his time. Poor Jaspert could not understand a word of what was going on, so the shouting probably made him quite nervous. She hoped he wouldn't do anything stupid.

"Very well young Aleksander," said an officer sitting back down. "I take it you are here to convince us that Prince Karl's ludicrous claims are true."

"Indeed," another man echoed, "He tells us that Emperor Franz Joseph has been dead for weeks and that the German Military are plotting to supplant the throne. Naturally, these are very serious claims to announce with no evidence." The man's deep voice trailed off into a deep murmur. Deryn wasn't sure if these men were promoted to general because of their experience or because of their menacing voices. Finally, Alek chose his time to speak.

"Then let me be the first piece of evidence, general," he said and stepped forward so he was in full sight of all the men at the table. "My name is Aleksander von Hohenburg, and one year ago my parents were both assassinated, starting the Great War. This much you all know," Alek said and waited for their agreement. Deryn thought it odd that he called the war he was trying to end 'great', but then again these were the generals in charge of winning it. After a few nods, he continued. "You also know that afterwards I was forced to run for my life from my home country. Emperor Franz Joseph wanted my capture above all other priorities."

"Clearly to stop you from betraying secrets to the Darwinists!" A general shouted from one side of the table. Deryn again had to hold herself back from saying something rude. To this, Prince Karl spoke up.

"You are forgetting that he had a note from the Holy Father that affirmed his name as heir. Why would he have betrayed a country that he was going to lead?" Prince Karl's timing was perfect. All of the generals who were grumbling became silent again. With that, Alek continued.

"The reason I ended up flying on the Darwinist ship the _Leviathan_ was because my crew and I had nowhere else to go. On that ship, I discovered valuable allies and was kept away from assassins. I was a prisoner on board, and at any moment I could have been sent back to London where I would spend the rest of the war as a political prisoner. Instead, I was able to help the men onboard that ship retaliate against the people responsible for my parent's death."

"And who, may I ask, do you say that was?" The nearest general asked.

"The German Military," Alek responded. Murmurs and whispers broke out once more and Deryn was afraid that people were going to start shouting again. She took a deep breath and brushed her belt with her arm, just to make sure her sidearm was still there.

"And you say that you are the proof we need to believe this, Prince Aleksander?" The same general asked. Deryn saw his eyes drift to her, and then to Jaspert for a moment before returning to Alek's face. Alek seemed at a loss for a moment. Deryn thought hard for a moment of how he could actually prove that the Germans killed his parents. A few moments ago, he dismissed the only Germans in the building who might have made useful evidence for him, _bumrag._ There really wasn't anything he could present. She wished that Bovril could climb out from wherever he was and help him out, but that would do much more harm than good.

"The Germans followed me from my home here in Austria, to the mountains of Switzerland, into Istanbul, and even into America. Their spies were relentless at trying to remove me as a threat to the Austrian throne. I was the one lose end that they never managed to tie down."

"And why, Prince Aleksander, were they hunting you so closely?" Prince Karl asked rhetorically.

"Because I was a threat to their real prize; the Austrian Throne. It was only ever a matter of time before Franz Joseph passed away, and they knew if I were put into power as his heir, I would turn the war against them as revenge for my parents. Once I stopped being a threat to the throne, the German military tried to kill the last clear heir to the throne, Prince Karl."

Prince Karl then came forward to continue Alek's testimony. "After being sent to the Netherlands by the Emperor, my estate was attacked and I was forced to flee into the arms of the Darwinist's of England. They tried to kill me again by hijacking the ship carrying me to Milan and crashing it into Austrian territory. You will no doubt have heard of the Darwinist warship that was shot down near Switzerland. I was on that ship, and the Germans tried again to make my death look like an accident. Once I was out of the way, they were going to supplant one of their own as a marshal ruler of Austria until a new heir could be found."

Deryn noticed the men at the table shooting each other glances at this point. Clearly part of the story had started to make sense to them. The princes needed to continue to lay on the facts until they put all of the pieces together. If only they could _see_ how easily they'd been duped.

"Did any of you wonder why I was sent away at the dawn of the war? It was to keep me safe, according to the Emperor. But really, it was to keep me an easy target. As soon as I caught wind of what they did to the Archduke and his wife, I was attacked," Prince Karl clarified. He cleared his throat and shifted his footing, making himself more comfortable. He seemed so at ease in front of all of these doubtful people. It was as if the business of an entire country's betrayal was trivial to him. If he really was this comfortable, then Deryn had no doubt that he could rule a country some day.

"I take it you've had word from the emperor recently?" Alek asked.

"We heard that he was making diplomatic allies in Germany when he passed away the other day of a heart-attack. We have some recent letters from him personally with his signature," a general in the center said.

"Does it have the Hapsburg seal?" another general asked.

"No, but they were sent from Berlin so naturally he wouldn't be able to put the seal on it from abroad," he responded.

They must have been fake, Deryn thought. These letters were probably the German's effort to keep the Austrian military and parliament quiet while they plotted to kill Prince Karl. It obviously worked. They must have had some other document that they could compare this phony signature with a real one.

Deryn stifled a gasp. Her eyes opened wide and her heart began beating like mad. She had forgotten about the letter in her chest pocket! That would certainly have both the seal and his real signature on it. How could she have been so daft! That was the only reason she went all the way to the Netherlands in the first place. _Daft girl,_ she cursed at herself. Why didn't she give it to Alek before they entered? She would have to give it to somebody now! Announcing Alek was risky enough, but she wasn't noticed since all eyes went to Alek and not to her. Someone would certainly notice just how poorly her uniform fit. If not that, then she would certainly get the formalities wrong. She knew how to talk to a British officer easy enough, but speaking to an Austrian General might require some ceremony for all she knew. She might need to call him something besides _sir _or _General_. Her German might lack the accent she needs or . . .

"I can prove it's fake, sir," Alek declared loudly.

_Bum! Rag!_

"I have given to your guardsmen here a declaration addressed to Prince Karl from Emperor Joseph." Prince Karl wheeled around at this and looked at her directly in the eye. She decided not to meet his gaze and stayed at attention. But she couldn't save her face for long. She'd been called on and it was time to put her best foot forward. She found the general Alek was talking to and marched. She simultaneously reached into her left breast pocket, unbuttoning it, and shuffling out the letter.

It was the smallest envelope in the world compared to how much it could change. It was simple paper that was slightly wrinkled on one side, probably from the voyage on the _Hellfire _plane. She brought it out and handed it to the seated general without a word. She bowed her head low so her uniform hat would cover her eyes from him. The man hesitated for a moment, during which Deryn held her breath. She was in arms reach of an Austrian _General_. She doubted that another soldier had ever been so close to an enemy general during wartime, and not just for this war.

The General took it from her hand and she turned to return to her spot by the door. She was sure that he got a good look at her. Something gave her away, something she couldn't see. She was sure that she was done for when she heard the envelope tear open. That meant he bought it, at least for now. She was about to let a breath of relief out when two beady eyes met her lost gaze at the spot she was standing in a few moments ago. Bovril looked up at her from the floor just next to the door.

She slowed her stride and her stomach sank. The Loris was in clear sight of all of the generals at the table! After a brief sick moment of panic, she quickly marched over to the spot Bovril was sitting and turned to face the generals again, blocking the Loris from their sight with her legs. She kept very still and eyed all of the generals closely to see if any of them saw. Each one seemed to be focused on the one general who was reading the Emperor's note quietly to himself. Not one of them saw a Darwinist fabrication that was sitting right in front of them!

Before she could begin to count her lucky stars, she knelt down quickly and scooped him up behind her. She held him with both hands behind her back and stood at attention again. If Bovril made so much as a giggle, she'd have to smother his wee little mouth to keep him quiet. She noticed that Jaspert was looking right at her with his eyes wide. She could do nothing but keep her eyes glued to the Princes and Jaspert followed suit, folding his own arms behind his back as well.

"It's a declaration . . ." the nearest general said, "stating Emperor Joseph's will to anoint Prince Karl as his heir. It is complete with the seal and his signature!" Another officer stood up beside him and observed the letter closely, holding the fake in his hand.

"These signatures are nothing alike!" he announced.

"It's a fake!" another shouted. Once again, the entire hall was in a roar with shouts and accusations.

"Treachery!" one shouted.

"Inconceivable," another said.

Deryn felt Bovril giggle a bit, but the sound was drowned out by the noise of the general's shouting match. Even the officers who had stayed quiet up to this point were out of their seats rallying behind the declaration. If the point of coming to this place was stirring things up, they had succeeded already. However, even after the declaration is verified, anything could happen.

"Gentlemen!" Prince Karl said loudly, commanding everyone's attention. "It is treachery. Indeed, we have been hoodwinked in the most clever and devilish of ways; they have convinced us that our friends are actually our enemies. If Prince Aleksander has taught me one thing, it is the power of knowing your allies. We did not know our allies, and as a result, our men are suffering in a war that they started. Our people are dying for _their_ cause. Gentlemen, we cannot allow this to continue." Murmurs of agreement circled around the room once again, followed by another giggle from Bovril.

"Are you suggesting we join the Darwinists and fight against Germany, your highness?" one general asked.

"I'm not asking for an alliance with Darwinism. Our nation is not ready for that. What I ask for instead is a co-existence. I propose mutual understanding of who the real villains were at the start of this war and what we can do to stop them. We will not be switching positions, because they were never supportive to us in the first place. I believe in a stronger, nobler Austria. I believe that in order to see that become reality, we must escape the confines of a war that we never should have joined in the first place. Our hunger for greatness has goose-stepped us into believing that greatness is in the victor of a conflict. The only victors of this conflict will be the nations that never took part. Let us instead achieve greatness by leading the world out of its imbalance. Instead of leaving behind a cemetery for our children, let us instead give them our wisdom and courage. That will last longer than any epitaph on a fallen soldier's headstone."

Alek had stepped back to let Prince Karl speak before the board of generals. Deryn eyed him admiringly. To think, this was the same helpless prince that nearly got himself killed a dozen times over onboard the _Leviathan_. When she met him in the frozen tundra all those months ago, he'd been a weak little pushover who couldn't even tie a knot let alone tell a decent lie. Here, he is anything but helpless. He's stronger and more confident than she'd ever seen him. This was Alek's moment of destiny that he had talked about on and on forever. Deryn couldn't help but let a smile cross her face. Perhaps, now that the war will be over, he can let his destiny go for good. Since providence had kept her a part of his destiny this far, perhaps she was meant to be part of whatever came next. She found herself wishing more than anything for that to be true.

As Prince Karl continued to speak, Alek peered over his shoulder and caught Deryn's eye for just a moment. They exchanged a glance that lasted only a brief second, but in that second they both communicated the same words.

_We've done it_, she thought, and gave Alek a nod.


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

"There you go. That's a good girl," Alek said as he heaved the last of the butchered hide in front of the Capitoline. He still didn't know how he was picked to feed the beast. After all of today's events, Alek thought he might have earned a little time to relax. But then again, this beast had done the most heavy lifting, and someone needed to feed her. The beast ripped apart the hide with a snarl, reminding Alek why he was once afraid of it. Beasts like this were the reason he hated Darwinism in the first place. Such ungodly abominations, he thought. Now even this monster seemed more like a child than a monster. It depended on people to give it food of course, but Alek thought it went deeper then that. The beast seemed to long for people. It looked on Deryn with the same affection an adoring child might. It even regarded him with a sort of warmth.

Alek continued watching the Capitoline devour its pork-chop when his other beast climbed up his legs and back onto his shoulder.

"Princy!" Bovril said.

"Hey there Bovril," Alek replied and gave him a rub between his ears. Bovril closed his eyes enjoying it thoroughly. "I take it you kept her safe from Mr. Shauder?"

"Mr. Shauder," Bovril said in Deryn's voice. "He's a clever sticky-beak. Pilot _Hellfire_ planes. Clankerhands. He cares for Prince Karl." The Loris seemed to be working out the words as he was going, piecing them together from conversations he had picked up before.

"Well, you're coming along nicely. Do you think we can trust him?" Alek asked.

"I think he's alright for a Clanker," Deryn's voice came from behind him. He turned to find both her and her brother standing by the door to the hangar where they were keeping the Capitoline.

"His highness will be staying in the palace tonight, but Shauder is back here to give us word on what's happened so far," Jaspert said.

"He's waiting for us in the dinning room," Deryn said. "Is anyone else as hungry as the Capitoline? I'm starved! The last thing I ate was some bread at Newkirk's place before leaving for the Netherlands."

"I'm sure the kitchen will having something here," Alek said. "I'll go see what I can find."

"No, I'll go ask Shauder. He used to work here so he'll know," Deryn said.

"Maybe he'll cook us up something as well?" Jaspert suggested.

"I'd think not. He's only got one hand to use anyway," Deryn said and began to run back to the house. Alek saw Jaspert wondering what she meant by that. Alek remembered the story that Prince Karl had told him before getting to the palace. He was still pretty curious what the man looked like himself.

"Oh, and Alek . . ." She called out from the door. "You . . . you did alright today," she said and smiled.

"Lets just hope it stuck," Alek called back and she vanished into the house.

An awkward silence fell between Jaspert and him. He thought it best to just follow her into the house. Something was nagging at his brain though. The look on Deryn's face reminded him of just how much he'd missed her while traveling through Austria. That was the first time they spent any time apart since the incident in New York months before. Even then the time was painful, but this felt like so much more. Anything could have happened to her in the Netherlands and he could not stomach the concept of being without her forever.

Here was Jaspert, who still had no idea about anything really, and with peace on the horizon, Alek thought that he might not get a better opportunity to tell Jaspert the truth. But where to begin?

"Jaspert, I uh . . . I want to thank you for everything you've done with us. And I want to apologize for getting angry at you days ago after I stunned you with the Tesla burst," Alek began.

"Ah don't fret yourself Aleksander. It'll take more than a few shocks to keep me down for long anyway. Don't take that as an invitation though. That was not exactly pleasant," He jested.

Alek heard a chuckle come from his shoulder. "Not exactly _pleasant_," Bovril highlighted annoyingly.

"Yes thank you _Bovril,_" Alek said annoyed. The Loris got his hint and stayed quiet on his shoulder again.

"Yes, well. Jaspert, I actually have something else I wanted to discuss with you."

"Oh, what? You mean how Deryn's a lass and you two are madly in love?"

Alek blinked. He froze where he was standing and glared back at Jaspert. A wicked smile grew across Jaspert's face. Clearly Alek's silence had affirmed whatever suspicions he had.

"But who told . . ." Alek began, and then heard his shoulder chuckling. "Bovril!" he shouted. The Loris had scampered off his shoulder away from his grasp and scuttled towards the door where Deryn had walked through. "I'll feed you to the Capitoline!" he called out as it scampered across the field.

"Call down you daft ninny. That beasty never told me anything anyway." Jaspert said. Again, Alek's face went into a shocked expression and he looked back to Jaspert.

"So how long have you known then?" Alek asked bluntly.

"The second she put a gun to my head in the Alps. Once I found out it was her, I knew exactly what you meant to her," Jaspert said simply. Alek began thinking about the last time he saw Deryn with a gun in her hand. "You know her, Alek. She acts tough and throws a punch here and there, but she'd never hurt a fly unless that fly was threatening something very important to her. I had a sword to your throat at the time, so if she was willing to off me, then she must have loved you. Then I figured that you knew her secret since you've been working together at the London Zoo. Everything made sense from then on out."

"So you've known all along and you never said anything?" Alek pondered.

"I was waiting to hear your reasoning. I suppose I can see what she sees in you. You're a prince for starters. You're also not afraid to get your hands dirty, and you know how to fight well _enough_ I guess. Even though I beat you with a sword in your hand with nothing but a neck-tie," Jaspert bragged. Alek wanted to point out how he had jumped him in the middle of the night, but held his tongue sensing that Jaspert was about to continue.

"What I'm still trying to figure out is what she did to you, you poor lad," Jaspert said with a sad expression. "Did she put something in the potatoes she fed you? Or did she actually put on a dress at one point that she won't tell me about?"

"Thankfully not. The image of her in a dress is still a little odd for me." Alek responded honestly.

"Then what on Earth happened to you?"

"I don't know!" Alek said a little flustered, "We simply grew fond of each other onboard the _Leviathan._ She was my greatest friend and ally long before I figured out she was a girl. There wasn't really anything . . ." Alek's thoughts trailed off as he thought back. Then he remembered the storm over the Pacific. "Well, I did fall and crack my head."

Jaspert let out a hearty laugh and patted him on the shoulder. "There's the answer I was looking for. She bashed your head open and placed herself in it before you could put it back together again," he said with a chuckle. Alek pondered at his fascinating turn of phrase.

"Yes, I suppose your right," he said. It was true that during that storm he could see her for the girl that she really was. He remembered how cold he was and how sideways the world felt to him. He remembered wanting to shut it all out at once. Then she had kissed him when his mind was at its most vulnerable. Everything suddenly cleared and he snapped back to reality. From that moment on, she was a girl to him, no question about it. "That clever girl," he mumbled aloud to himself.

"Quite right there Alek. Too clever for us to have any hope," Jaspert said and began laughing loudly. Alek soon bubbled into laughter as well, not because what he said was funny, but because the whole situation was completely ridiculous. His future wife was always supposed to be some duchess that the Emperor might pick out for him. Then he could take the throne of Austria and rule the Holy-Roman until he died a dignified monarch. That was what was supposed to happen. Yet here he was, smitten by a cross-dressing British ex-soldier working for a Zoo with a talking Loris. Alek began laughing uncontrollably, bending down to support himself on his knees. The most ridiculous part was that he knew how strange it all was, and yet he was still happier than he had ever been in his life.

"Will you ninnies get in here?! Quit your lollygagging, we've got business to take care of!" Deryn shouted from the doorway. Bovril was perched on her shoulder laughing as well. Alek wondered if the Loris had told her what they were talking about. To his credit, he actually didn't spill their secret to Jaspert. He needed to remember to apologize to Bovril later.

There was a little bread left around, but every last bit of meat needed to go to feeding the Capitoline. Deryn grumbled a bit but still devoured the bread quicker than everyone else.

"Can't we even manage a few potatoes?" Alek heard her mumble with a mouthful of crust. Alek didn't pay to much attention to his stomach at the moment. He was preoccupied with Niklaus Shauder who sat across from him. The man was slender and tall but his voice was a bit broken. He looked tired but still focused on whatever was on his mind. Clearly he had something to talk about and Alek would prefer to get on with it.

"Mr. Shauder, my name is . . ." Alek started.

"Your serene highness Aleksander von Hohenburg, yes. It's an honor sir," He responded. Clearly this man new Austrian royalty well and seemed genuinely glad to meet Alek.

"Alright then Mr. Shauder, I shall get straight to the point. Is there any news?" he asked Shauder.

"Yes. You will all want to pay close attention to this," he said and leaned forward at the dinning room table. Deryn stopped her relentless devouring and listened carefully.

"Prince Karl has been recognized and legitimized as the new heir to the Austrian Empire," he began. This was great news to start with but it said nothing about the war specifically. "Also, all borders to Germany have been completely locked and all German military personnel in Vienna have been taken into custody. Prince Karl said that he wants to communicate with the French to explain the situation. He wants to agree on a cease-fire as soon as possible so he can divert forces to the German Border. All forces that were called back from the front have been ordered to report to the northern border. However, the generals and I share doubts that the French will be willing to communicate with us. They will probably assume that it is propaganda or deceit."

Alek was nodding along with Jaspert at what he was saying. So far, everything made sense. The only problem was getting the Darwinists to take the message seriously. No doubt the Russians would dismiss it immediately. France was not much brighter but it was certainly the better of the two options.

"Prince Karl's plan after the cease-fire is to have co-existence agreement signed by Darwinists in neutral territory. This presents another problem. Switzerland is the closest neutral territory that makes any sense and they just locked their boarders completely. We've already contacted them to try and explain but they're not allowing anyone in who isn't from another neutral territory."

"Why on earth not?" Jaspert asked.

"I should think that would be obvious, Jas. Every time we set foot in that country, something horrible happens and they're probably sick of it. Plus, this operation sounds sketchy to boot," Deryn said to him.

"So what are the other options?" Alek asked, silently begging for him to continue.

"Well, this is assuming we can talk to the French at all," Shauder pondered. "We actually do have a communication line that can transmit Morse code to one city. But anything that comes out of that line will be dismissed immediately as a threat or a trick. That's what we would do if we received anything here," he said and shrugged.

"Which city?" said a voice from the table. It was Bovril, who was eyeing Shauder very closely. Shauder took a second to digest the fact that he was speaking to a creature the size of a house-cat. He took a breath, and hesitantly continued.

". . . Paris?" he said, probably wondering if the beastie needed a sort of code. Bovril digested his answer fully and then perked up at Alek.

"Lady Boffin!" he chirped and giggled madly.

_Of Course_. Dr. Barlow had gone to Paris before they could return from the Alps on some urgent business. Since her business was likely related to Austria or the war, she was likely still there.

"She has probably got the ear of the French Military by now!" Deryn said looking at Alek with a grin.

"Hold on, who's this we're talking about?" Jaspert interrupted.

"She's our employer, and a _Darwin,_" Deryn said back. "She's the best person imaginable to get the French to take peace talks seriously. Can we talk with her using the Capitoline?" She asked Alek. He shook his head.

"Sadly the communication unit has been completely blown when I used the Tesla burst. It won't work at all."

"You actually used that thing? Blisters Alek. What happened when you were on your way here?" She asked.

"That can be discussed later," Shauder interrupted her and motioned her to sit with his false-arm. Alek got a good look at it for the first time, and resisted the urge not to stare. "If you know someone who can help, then you need to tell me."

"Ask for Dr. Nora Barlow from the Zoological Society of London," Alek told him seriously. "Once you've got her attention, tell her everything. She is trustworthy and she will get what you need done."

"Very well, I will tell Prince Karl you said this. Doctor Nora Barlow? It will be tomorrow afternoon by the time I'll have any more news to tell you. I'll come by tomorrow for dinner and we can discuss developments then," Shauder said standing up. "You'd best stay alert. I've told them that Prince Alek is staying here at Prince Karl's father's estate. They'll assume that you're his escorts," he said gesturing to Deryn and Jaspert. "If someone else comes by, address them as military personnel. We can have some more food brought up for you as well." Deryn and Jaspert both made grateful smiles at Shauder and Alek stood up to bid him farewell.

"Thank you Mr. Shauder. Tell Prince Karl that I thank him for everything," Alek said and shook his hands smartly.

"I shall. But I must urge caution to you all. You may have won a victory today, but the German's will not take this lightly. Keep yourself safe. I shall talk with you all tomorrow." With that, he turned on his heel and headed out the corridor.

"Well that darkens the mood. What a downer," Jaspert said after a few moments. "Shouldn't we be celebrating?"

"German's won't give up that easily," Bovril said from the table.

"Bovril's right," Deryn added. "We need to keep sharp, Jaspert. We can celebrate when we get back to London. Until then, this is still enemy territory. We can enjoy ourselves tonight by sleeping in actual beds for a change. Speaking of which, since there is nothing else to eat, I'm packing it in now. Didn't get a squick of sleep last night because of the stupid plane. Alek and I will go get some meat for the Capitoline in the morning."

With that, she marched away. Bovril stayed behind, clearly keen on catching up with Alek.

"Come on Bovril," Alek said softly. "We deserve some rest."

* * *

A/N: I have absolutely loved the most recent reviews because they point a few things out that I missed. Please, if you see something that needs fixing, let me know. I'm on spring break right now so this whole "rest" theme feels really natural right now. Not to say it wasn't planned. And not to say there may or may not be something awesome/scary happening soon. The writing here just felt natural.

Best,

Johnsoneer


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

That was the first time that Deryn had a proper night's sleep since London. She underestimated just how sleep-deprived she was. She had found the nearest stateroom in the house and as soon as her head hit the pillow, she was out. Bovril woke her up well after sunrise and she set to getting herself and the Capitoline something to eat. At least today she didn't have to wear that silly guard's uniform.

Alek was a step ahead of her. He got up early and made arrangements for a butcher delivery later that day. He told them that he wanted the entire house re-stocked with food since he planned on staying for a while. Deryn wondered whether or not that would be true, but in either case, Alek was growing into an experienced liar. Deryn didn't know whether to be proud or be concerned but either way he was getting things done so she didn't dwell on it.

She quickly became bored with waiting to hear from Shauder. Alek had buried himself into the library pulling out maps and engraving them into his memory. She guessed that he was trying to find his own way of getting the neutral talks to happen, but the truth was there was little he could do about it then. Deryn decided instead to take stock of all the things in the _Hellfire_ plane that was still sitting on the runway behind the estate house.

In the light of day, the plane looked a little less menacing. It had two wings above and below the fuselage and two seats where the pilot was placed. _Blisters, I could have sat here out of the wind_, Deryn thought. The flight had been long and painful because the wind was so much bitterer in a violent Clanker plane compared to a Darwinist air-beast. But the sight and feeling of flying faster than a strafing hawk was unbelievable. The experience was fascinating enough to merit a closer look at the plane.

She hopped up on the starboard wing and began pulling things out of the pilot's compartment, making mental notes on where everything came from so she could put it all back. Many things ordinary: a headset, pilot's goggles, and a canteen that was completely empty. One or two things were a little odd. There was a small square of tinted glass that Deryn guessed was for seeing things through harsh sunlight. There was a copy of what she guessed was a flight manual, but all the words were in German and she could still only speak the language. She also found a flask and an odd looking backpack. A sniff of the flask proved that it was filled with liquor of some sort. Deryn hoped that it didn't belong to Shauder and that he was not drunk for their flight home, but if he landed the plane, that's all that mattered.

She turned to the odd-looking backpack and sat down on the wing to inspect it closer. It had no zippers or compartments of any kind, yet it still felt full. It was a few kilograms heavy but nothing felt loose on the inside when she shook it. She decided to strap it on to see if that made things clearer. It harnessed her tightly and even had leg braces as well.

"What are you toying with?" Jaspert shouted from the main door. He was walking towards her with an odd expression.

"I'm just trying to understand what exactly this thing is," she responded and continued fiddling.

"The backpack or the plane? They both seem simple enough for me," Jasper said sarcastically.

"Well if this is so simple, then why don't you tell me what's inside this thing?"

"Alright, toss it here," Jaspert said confidently. Deryn unstrapped herself and swung it over to him.

"Yes well," he said struggling to get it on. "It might be a water pack for long distant flights," he suggested.

"I found a canteen in there so probably not. Do you think it might be a . . ." she began and was cut off when he touched something on the right strap. Two large wings unfolded with a snap around Jaspert's back. They created a 'whoosh' as they opened up and Jaspert had to find his balance again.

"Ah! So it's a set of folding wings! That's pretty smart. If a pilot has to bail out, he could use this to get to land safely and a fair distance away from his enemies," Deryn concluded.

"Yea, but they're nothing like the wings we use in the service. These are as rigid as a Mammothine tusk. Ours feel so much more natural," Jaspert said unstrapping himself.

"Aye, I know it. A few months ago, I had a hard landing with a set of those and completely blew out my knee. It was a month before I could climb any ratlines afterward. It's got better since then of course, it only twinges if I break out into a run or jump really high," Deryn explained, recalling her horrible accident that almost gave her secret away to the entire world. That bum rag Malone was the source of so many of her problems then. If Alek hadn't sacrificed his last family secret, she would have been incarcerated and never would have flown again. But Alek _did_ save her and so much more.

"Your prince could probably use some company, little sis. He's been in the study all day. I think he'll go mad if he lingers on what'll happen for much longer," Jaspert said shrugging the wings off of himself.

"Aye, I suppose your right. Has the Capitoline gotten any breakfast yet?" She asked.

"You worry about your Prince Charming, I'll worry about the beastie," he said with a devilish grin. Deryn looked at him with a twist of anger and confusion.

"Did he tell you?" she asked quietly.

"Of course not, I figured it out you silly girl. Who would have thought my sister the soldier smitten by the same lad that all the Austrian ladies would probably fawn over," he said and made a fake swoon to toy with her.

"Get stuffed," she said with a hint of a blush on her face. With that she turned on her heel, and left. The bum rag was obviously playing with her, but he was right, Alek shouldn't dwell on the news all day. A mad prince is of no use to anyone. On second thought, madder then he is already she supposed.

* * *

"But why on earth do you want to learn how to operate a walker?" Alek asked as she literally dragged him by the shoulder to the garage. She had managed to get him outside at this point but was still reluctant. She gave an exasperated sigh and took a firmer grip of him.

"Plenty of reasons. One, because I think it might come in handy if we're gonna stick around Clankerland any longer. Two, because you need to get your head out of maps for a moment and do something. And three, I'm barking bored, and crashing something might help pass the time," she said.

"Yes, but royal runabouts are hardly training machines," he said.

"Relax, your princeliness. I still remember plenty from those drills we use to run in Istanbul before the revolution. And, I've been a crack hand on the saunters of the Capitoline's saddle, if I do say so myself," she said and rounded the entrance to the garage where the runabout was parked. The palace had provided them with an alternative smaller walker after the one Alek used to get into the palace 'mysteriously' vanished along with 6 personnel.

"The Captioline is _not _a walker, Deryn. But I guess you might be right. A little familiarity with a walker might prove useful. I just hope we never need you to drive anywhere soon," he said walking around to the entrance ladder.

"With our luck, it'll happen," She said and followed him up.

The inside of this cabin was so much smaller than the one she had grown accustomed to in Istanbul. The saunters were taller too, probably because the pilot may have to stand and poke his head out of the porthole in the top to shout at people in the streets. There was another seat immediately behind the pilot's, but there was no room for anything else. Alek took the rear seat and motioned for Deryn to have a seat and strap in, which she did easily. It was not all that different from the Minotaur walkers they practiced with in Istanbul. There were a number dials that made no sense to her, a viewport out front, and a few pedals below the saunters, which also made no sense to her.

She strapped herself in and took the saunters in her hands. Alek apparently flicked a switch somewhere because the engine sputtered to life, giving the entire cockpit a shudder. The engine was smaller than before as well, she noticed.

"So, this runabout has four legs instead of the usual two. Those pedals act as saunters for the back two legs so strap your feet into those as well," Alek pointed out. As she strapped herself in, the cabin swayed backward with the slight movement of the back legs. "The action you want to think of is crawling like a child. Or like a hydrogen sniffer, if you'd like. Move your left hand with your right foot, and vice versa. But move your hands before your legs," he explained. It all seemed a little odd to her. She assumed that there would be more pressures and oil temperatures to worry about. This was more like teaching a child to walk.

"Ok," she said and ventured her left saunter forward. The whole cabin dipped one side as she brought it up. To compensate, she instinctively brought her left foot down and pressed hard. The whole walker moved forward ever so slightly. She brought down her left hand, simultaneously bringing her right foot up. The cabin then swayed in the other direction, balancing out. By the time she got through the first cycle of steps, they were already out of the garage.

"Very good. Watch the road and focus less on the saunters. You'll develop a rhythm eventually," Alek said from behind her. Sure enough, the movements of her left and right limbs started to feel more natural. The mechanics felt much softer than she imagined. Each stride she made was accompanied with a hiss of pressurized air and a gentle push against the saunters. She started picking up the pace until the path before her emptied out into the estate lawn.

"Try to stay on the path. To turn, just reach farther forward with your right side," Alek suggested.

"I'm trying," she said and reached with her right arm. The whole walker listed to the right and the world tilted sideways in the viewport.

"Careful!" Alek shouted. His worried tone was not helping Deryn calm down. She tried to bring the right hand back down to stabilize the walker, but instead she dragged the mechanical limb on the ground towards them. Gravel and pebbles shot in all directions and the cabin began listing more. She Deryn's eyes opened wide and her hands started shaking nervously.

"I can't . . ." she tried to explain how her right arm was stuck. The walker started tipping, past the point of balance and was lurching over. Deryn felt Alek's foot on her own out of nowhere. He had unbuckled himself and dove forward, mashing his foot on top of hers. The right leg saunter pushed downwards and the walker stopped listing. After a dizzying moment of balancing, the right leg pushed upwards and the whole walker came down with a crash on two its left side. The cabin shook with the impact and then everything became silent again. The engines sputtered to a halt and more hissing sounds filled the cabin. The right arm was still splayed outward and the walker looked terribly odd, as if it was offering something in its right hand.

Alek took his foot off of Deryn's, which twinged after being mashed so hard. His arm was wrapped around her pilot's chair to support himself. Deryn suddenly realized how close he was to her.

"Well done!" he said with a grin.

"What do you mean 'well done'?" she asked a little out of breath, "I almost crashed it!"

"Yes, _Almost_. Everyone crashes their first time. Usually it's in a smaller training runabout but you managed to get us a good 300 yards in a royal carriage walker without an ounce of training! Very good, for a Darwinist I should say," Alek said clapping her on the shoulder.

"I'm told I'm adaptable," She added and bubbled into a laugh. "You could have told me people usually crash!" she said with a scowl.

"Its tradition not to tell them until after they crash. In my first run with the Cyclop Stormwalker, I nearly went head first into a field of barley," he said and started laughing as well. The cabin started echoing with the sound of their laughter instead of the humming of engines.

"See?" Deryn said catching her breath. "Isn't this better than staring at maps all day?"

"Yes it is. Either way it's helping pass the time," he said with a shrug.

"What do you mean? All you could do before is focus on finding a solution to the whole 'co-existence' problem. How is that passing time?" She asked.

"Co-existence problem?" he responded a little confused. "I wasn't looking for neutral territory to hold peace talks."

"What? Then why were you tearing through maps of Europe?" she asked and sat up to face him. Alek looked away and stuttered for a moment, and Deryn caught the faintest glimpse of blush in his cheeks.

"I was, hum . . . I was actually looking for a spot in either England or Austria that makes sense," he said hesitantly.

"Makes sense for what?" she asked, still unclear of what this was about. He hesitated again and then slowly met her gaze.

"Makes sense for us," he said with a slight smile on his face. "This war is almost over, Deryn. When it finally ends, there is a chance that Austria will be at peace with the Darwinists. If that is the case, that means that we could find a place to live in either country. We could pool our savings together working for Barlow to get a place in the countryside of England big enough for an airfield!"

Deryn's eyes fixed on his gaze in a shock as she began to understand what he was saying.

"Alek," she began, "you were looking for a place to live with me?"

"Remember that gold bar you fell on in the Alps?" he continued. "We could use that to commission a small airship from the Zoological Society. It would be small enough for us to run on ourselves but it could get us anywhere! We could travel to my old home near Prague and then visit Lillit in Istanbul or . . ."

Deryn cut him off by throwing her lips at his. She unstrapped herself from her seat and began kissing him feverishly. He seemed surprised at first, and then he settled into the seat with her and began kissing her back with the same vigor. He held the back of her head as she began running her fingers through his hair. Her heart began pounding and her legs started melting from underneath her. The nerves she experienced from nearly tipping the walker over suddenly started firing again. Her breath was shaky and her head began to get dizzy, but she didn't care. This silly prince was all that mattered to her at the moment. They continued for a few long moments before she had to break away to breath.

"You daft prince," she said catching her breath. He looked at her with another smile on his face. He reached up and grazed her face with his hand gently. She leaned into it and closed her eyes, wishing that he'd continue talking about life after the war. At that moment, Bovril decided to speak up.

"Niklaus Shauder is coming," he peeped. Deryn jumped and spun around to face him. The Loris had climbed up the walker and was sitting in the viewport, eyeing them closely. There was no telling how long he had been there. He then started to make a low growling noise, imitating engines from far away.

"Shauder!" Alek said and scooted Deryn off of the seat. She climbed backward and took the seat behind Alek. In a moment, the engines were up and running again and the walker was balanced again, headed back for the garage. Deryn's head was still spinning and her arms and legs still felt lighter than air, but the interruption made one thing clear. While the war is still raging, it deserves the most attention. Looking forward was too much of a fantasy to dwell on, at least for now.

Bovril scampered out of the viewport and took a seat in her lap. He looked up at her with a quizzical look and said softly, "you daft prince." Deryn rubbed the Loris between his ears and sighed.

"We'll never get a moment's peace with you, will we?" she asked softly.

"Not while the war is on," Bovril responded easily.

* * *

Shauder came in through the main doors in a hurry and limped his way over to the library, where Alek and Jaspert were waiting. His mechanical foot made a loud thud every time he took a step. Deryn came in with the Loris on her shoulder from the Garage.

"Is there any news?" Bovril said in Alek's voice from her shoulder. Clearly the Loris was as eager as the rest of them. He didn't even sit down before he started speaking.

"All forces from the French front have been ordered to retreat and head back to the north. The bullets stopped flying around eleven this morning," he said. Jaspert gave a victorious 'hurrah' and Alek grew a large smile on his face.

"The French started moving forward and are now approaching our original boarders," Shauder continued. "They won't find any resistance for now. The Darwinists have agreed to hold a summit meeting in Austrian territory on the condition that the front line forces retreat. Prince Karl agreed and will be meeting with them tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Deryn asked quite surprised. "That's so soon! How did the French prepare negotiators so quickly? I know that they've got people, but how will they be getting all the way to Austria by tomorrow?"

"That Doctor you suggested," Shauder continued. "She already had a ship in place. She'll be joining the ambassadors and negotiators on board. They're both meeting in the city of Innsbruck. His highness Prince Karl is leaving in the morning on a zeppelin and they will meet the Darwinist ship there to hold talks."

"What will they hope to accomplish with talks?" Jaspert said. "They can say that the French are friends and the Germans are enemies if they want, but it will take more than orders to convince the soldiers to turn on their allies and partner with their enemies."

Deryn was about to shout something at Jaspert for being so ridiculous, but he had a point. It'll take more than a new emperor to get soldiers to turn on each other. She guessed that many soldiers would have friends or even family in Germany. Getting the support from the military will be harder than she expected. Not to mention the complete disgust most people in Innsbruck would show at the sight of a Darwinist ship in Austrian air space. It was an extremely risky maneuver. The German's had spies in America that almost killed Alek with a single rocket. There's no telling how many more German's would be in Innsbruck.

"If we can get the French to believe that we're turning against the Germans, then they can divert their forces from the Austrian front to Germany. Then they will have enemies at every border. They will have to surrender then. If everything goes well, Austria will not have to fire a single shot at Germany," Alek told Jaspert. That made sense to her. It didn't make the mission any less dangerous, but it certainly made it worth the risk.

Another problem bugged her. There is no ship the French had that could get Barlow and her negotiators all the way to Austria in a day's time.

"Shauder," she began, "How exactly are they getting to Innsbruck? The Darwinists I mean."

"On a Darwinist airship, the _Leviathan_," Shauder said, and then he looked rather surprised when everyone else became speechless.

* * *

**A/N:** Spring break is ending and it's back to the grindstone with me, but I'll make more of an effort to get the rest of this out before summer at least. I know thats a long time but I'm not gonna make any more promises I can't keep. Review! Tell me what you think.


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